Saturday, April 19, 2008

why do all of your shirts have a stain on them?

this is the question that i am often asked by my concerned husband.  often the question is asked at the wrong time, for example, like when we are about to leave for a date or for Sunday night church so most times it ends in a huffy trip back to the closet so that i can look and pray for a shirt without a stain.  will there be one in there?  that doesn't need to be ironed?  I am always hoping for the best! 
 This past week our family took a trip to see my husband's parents.  As we were leaving and packing our car, someone, not sure who, made Sally an ice cream cone.  It was just hot enough outside to melt it a good bit.  And she is just not fast enough to keep up with the melt to lick ratio! We were loading the car and I stepped inside to grab a wet towel so that I could clean her up reminding myself to be ever so careful NOT to let her touch me while covered with chocolate ice cream. 
I reached down to clean her hands and I thought that i was free and clear but when i stood up i realized there was a small chocolate handprint right on the front of my semi-new shirt.  (my husband says that all of my shirts are semi-new because of this very problem)
So today the shirt lies in the trash along with 2 others that i finally gave up because of stains and such.  my husband tried to coach me to keep it, to wear it under something else,  to wear it when i knew that i would paint or do something crafty but no i threw it away. 
 and tonight i drove to Target to buy another shirt knowing full well that this shirt would probably end up in the trash sooner or later.   realizing that this time is not a time for me merely to survive through... you know, when sally is a grown up my shirts wont be stained, when John is done with mashed sweet potatoes I will surely be free from stains, I am trusting that this is what the Lord has for me.  I am trusting Him that He will provide what I need and that it is okay to let go of a semi-new stained- beyond -washing shirt.  Trusting the Lord that this is what he had for me for this day and that I am in the time that He has for me and I will NOT always look forward to a better time to come.  So trust Him that this is the time that He has for you.

And, as always, thanks to Annie Laurie for spurring me on to write... and for teaching about new technologies every time we talk...  ALCW-  He is Risen!! He is Risen Indeed!!

4 comments:

jolie said...

I think we have the same stained shirts! :) That is good encouragement. It is so easy to get bogged down and want to look forward, but God does have us right here and has ordained the day (even stains and spills?) and I should be glad in this one! Thanks!

ashley c said...

i love your story danielle. so funny i'm in the same boat. wednesday night at church i walked in and noticed mary taylor had pooped all over my hip so thankfully they had a smock i could wear. i changed her and cleaned her up then after church went to get her. i noticed she had spit up all over her shirt so we walked out of church with a smock on myself and mary taylor shirtless. yes we must definitley keep eternity in mind!!! love your writing D.

ashley c said...

BTW mamaofthree is ashley clark

Corey and Melody Cain said...

Hey Danielle! We have that same problem with our two year old...if anyone is wearing white, his hands/mouth/any dirty part of his body is drawn to it! It never fails! A verse that I love is 2 Timothy 1:7-9...it talks about God's "eternal purpose...given to us before time began". This verse has given so much validation and also responsibility to fulfill the purpose that He has for me at this particular time in my life where so much of my role is being a mom. I really enjoyed your blog...you have a gift for writing and it sounds like you're a great mom!