Category Archives: Obedience

Price of a Potty

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It’s been 22 years since I potty-trained my youngest child. The details are murky, but I do remember two things: (1) candy was part of it, and (2) all 7 of them got it done.

Today my bathroom once again has a child’s potty in it. Emerald has shown signs of readiness, so Birgitta and I bought two, one for her home and one for mine.

IMG_5332The day I bought them, I stacked the identical potties inside each other on the store check-out belt. But when I got home, I’d been charged for only one. The checker must have swiped them simultaneously.

A 34-mile round trip separated me from the nearest Walmart, and I didn’t have time to head back, but I knew I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t straighten it out.

What bothered me most was knowing I’d have to convince Customer Service to take the $10 I owed. I’ve learned from past experience it’s not always easy to be honest. I considered dropping $10 into the church offering on Sunday to clear my guilt, but by the next day, I knew what I had to do.

While awaiting my turn at Customer Service I rehearsed my lines. “This may sound funny, but I owe you $10.” Or, “I never paid for this potty and want to pay now.”

Customer ServiceThen I thought about the receipt in my hand, knowing the check-out girl’s identity was encoded there. Would my desire for a clean conscience cost her her job? Maybe I should just walk through the aisles and place my potty back on the shelf, which would cancel my debt. Better yet, I could walk to a check-out counter and just buy it again.

No doubt God was getting a good chuckle watching me ride my moral merry-go-round.

Scripture teaches us to do the right thing, labeling it “righteousness.” We shouldn’t have to argue ourselves into it but should just practice it without pause, never worrying about the response of others. In the process, we’ll develop positive character traits that please God. Doing the right thing isn’t usually easy, but once we make it our default behavior, it takes less and less effort.

When it was finally my turn at Customer Service, the young girl there furrowed her brow as I stumbled over my words trying to land somewhere between criminal (shoplifter?) and saint (too honest). Bracing myself for resistance, I was thrilled when she simply said, “No problem.”

IMG_5331She swiped the potty, collected my money, and handed me a receipt. As I turned to go she said, “Good thing you came back and paid for it. If you hadn’t, your granddaughter might never have gotten trained.”

Didn’t think of that one.

 

“He who speaks the truth declares righteousness.” (Proverbs 12:17)

Four Disappointments

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Playland.On Wednesdays I get to play with Emerald until 8:30 pm while Birgitta attends classes, and though there’s lots to do at “MeeMee’s house,” sometimes it’s fun to go elsewhere. Last Wednesday we decided to head for a Michigan City McDonald’s where we’ve often enjoyed a kiddie playland. Emerald’s “Auntie Weezi,” who lives nearby, agreed to meet us there.

We arrived a few minutes early, so I decided to catch up on texting while Emerald played in the driver’s seat, her new fascination. It wasn’t 5 minutes before Louisa arrived, and we went in. But what a surprise to find the entire Playland had been torn down in preparation for remodeling. That was disappointment #1.

Heading back to the car to seek other entertainment, we discovered my battery was dead. Emerald had turned on the headlights during her playtime behind the wheel. Disappointment #2.

Jumper cablesBut Weezi saved the day! Unbelievably, she had jumper cables in her trunk, so all we needed was someone to hook them up. (We both knew approximately what to do, but a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.)

As we stood between the two cars eyeing people coming and going, a cable-angel appeared out of nowhere, a young man in a navy pea coat.

“Do you know anything about jumping cars?” I asked.

“Sure,” he said, taking the cables from Weezi.

But when he clicked them together, they didn’t spark. “I don’t think they’re any good,” he said. Disappointment #3.

“Could we try anyway?” I said, hoping God would somehow energize the cables just this once. But our cable-angel was right. They were, indeed, dead. Disappointment #4.

“I’ll find someone with good cables,” he said, heading toward McDonalds. “Really?” we said, but within two minutes, he and a uniformed McDonalds employee emerged waving car keys.

cables“In my trunk!” the employee said, retrieving his cables and bringing them over. When my car sprung to life, Louisa and I applauded, but the cable-angel brushed it off like it was nothing.

“Wait,” I said, reaching for my purse. “Let us give you something.”

“Absolutely not,” he said, walking back toward McDonalds.

“Can’t we at least buy you a burger?” I said, waving a bill at him.

“Nope. Glad to help!” he said, disappearing inside.

Standing between our purring cars, we realized that his one good deed had obliterated our four disappointments. And how good it felt to be on the receiving end of an unexpected blessing.

Of course the take-away is that we ought to be doing the same for others. Though playing the part of an angel is inconvenient, being a blessing to a needy person makes both parties feel pretty good. And surely it must bless God, too.

At the wheelEmerald never saw a playland, but she had some good fun in my driver’s seat. And the dead battery that resulted brought some good fun to Louisa and me, too.

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him.” (Matthew 12:35)

Fizzling Out

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Normally when we say something is “fizzling out,” we mean it’s losing its brilliance (like a sparkler) or is coming to an end (like a party). But yesterday it turned out to mean something completely different.

A full cartHeading for a grocery store check-out, I was surprised when a man approaching from the opposite direction sped up and steered his cart right in front of mine. He quickly began haphazardly tossing items on the belt, stacking them 3-and-4 high. His piles were unstable, tumbling every time the belt moved. And then, just as I began unloading my cart, his big 2-liter Coke rolled off and crashed to the floor… right at my feet.

It exploded with “fizzle,” but the man seemed unconcerned, fishing for money in his pockets. “It’s fizzling out!” I said, jumping back to avoid a stream of sticky Coke heading up my pant leg. Fully expecting him to quickly bend down and grab it, I watched as he stepped past the cashier and out of spray-range.

Coke gone wild.By this time the Coke was rolling around every-which-way in response to its own fizzling…. all over me, my cart, the floor, and the guy behind me. But the one who was responsible pretended not to notice.

It was a long, sticky day as I pursued the rest of my errands in clothes decorated with brown splatters and shoes that suctioned on every surface. I couldn’t stop thinking about that man and his thoughtless disregard.

But while driving home, God whispered something in my ear. “You know, Margaret, sometimes you behave exactly like that. How often have I tried in creative ways to get your attention? And how often have you disregarded even my ‘fizzly’ attempts to reach you?”

He had me there. Rushing through busy days with one eye on a to-do list and the other on whatever’s in my “cart” for that day, I must look to him much like that man in the grocery store. And since I’m often selfishly possessive of my time, interruptions regularly equate to irritations. Sadly, this can include interruptions even from the Lord.

Though I’ve never spoken it aloud, internally I’ve often said, “Father, can’t you see I’m in a hurry here? Your ‘fizzling’ at me is ruining my efficiency!”

But of course God knows all about it and is “fizzling” at me with purpose. The proper response, of course, is to stop what I’m doing and give him my attention. And so, by way of yesterday’s messy object lesson, I stand corrected.

2-liter CokeAs for Mr. In-A-Hurry’s Coke bottle, a fast-thinking store employee nearby moved in to rescue us. But as he took hold of the giant bottle, it sprayed everything within ten feet, including him — face, hair and all.

The only person it completely missed was the guy who should have been tending to the fizzle. But he was long gone.

 “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 3:7,8)