Safety Restraints



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The Baby Bird, now 21 months old, has never been the best car-rider. I've listened to her fuss and whine much more in the car than the other two combined. But, since she's the third, you kind of learn to tune it out.
A couple of days ago, we were on our way to...well, I have no idea exactly where we were headed, come to think of it...and I put Baby Bird in her car seat. 
If only there had been a ringside wrestling announcer, then the scene would have been complete. I literally had to lay on her hips in order to buckle her in. And she weighs, at most, 22-23 pounds. But she is STRONG and has a bit of a stubborn streak in her. 
You'd think that after hundreds of times being strapped into her seat, she'd get the picture that, no matter what, the buckling was going to occur. And here I am, teeth gritted, trying to literally single-handedly get points 3 and 4 buckled into point 5 of the 5 Point Harness. 
"This. Is. For. Your. Safety!" I told her. I guess she finally got the picture that, yet again, all of her bucking and flailing would not keep her from being safely buckled into her seat. But she didn't go down without a fight, let me tell you!
You know, God has laid out all kinds of rules and guidelines--safety restraints--in the Bible to help us on our way in life. And even though we know what they are, we buck against them, thinking that we know best this time. "This. Is. For. Your. Safety!" He's probably telling us. "I'm telling you this because I love you and want what's best for you," He adds. Just like we do with those we love. He wants to direct us on the path to righteousness which means having to be restrained from unrighteousness, right?  For our safety. Because He loves us.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word. Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.
Psalm 119:105-108
New International Version 1984


 

My Toes Are Froze

Have you ever wondered why people do the things they do? Take me, for instance. For the past several days, I've worn flip-flops while out and about getting the mail, running errands, even going to church. And it's January. I imagine you might be wondering, "Chrissy, why on earth are you wearing flip-flops in the middle of winter?"
I'll get to that in just a second. Promise.
I got quite a few second glances in the Wal-Mart parking lot as I flipped over piles of snow and flopped over icy patches left over from last week's winter storm.

Hmmm...wonder if my feet will make it on People of Wal-Mart?

You see, last summer, Rev. Hubby and I took an incredible 10th wedding anniversary trip to the Grand Canyon. We hiked down to the bottom, spent the night in the bunks at Phantom Ranch, and hiked out the next day. Little did I know that with each step I took, my left big toenail was being injured. And there are a lot of steps in 17 miles of hiking! It didn't fall off overnight. It actually took a few weeks to completely detach. I knew it would take quite some time to regrow, so I didn't think much of it.
Colder weather started to set in, and I needed to trade my flip-flops and sandals for shoes more suitable for cooler temperatures. It didn't take long before I noticed the place on my left big toe where a nail used to be was becoming irritated from having to wear socks and shoes. Not much longer after that, I realized that the nail wasn't growing quite as well. I know that things like hair and nail growth can slow in the winter so I tried not to worry, but as time passed and only half of my nailbed was covered with nail, I thought it might be time to do something, and the easiest thing to do would be to stop wearing shoes.
I'm a stay-at-home-mom, so going shoeless is not really a big deal for me on a day to day basis. Some days I leave the house just a couple of times to pick up the older girls from school. But pulling on shoes for that little time was still hurting my poor toe! So I decided to go back to my flip-flops to let my toe be free. 
I think it's getting better. Obviously, I can't see the nail growing, but it feels much better, so I'm sticking with the flip-flops and I'll just endure the strange looks.
If only the strange look givers knew why I was wearing flip-flops. I'm sure they'd say, "Ohhhhh! That makes perfect sense!"
All they have to do is take a second and ask me. I'd be glad to share. 

So I got to thinking. How often do I judge others on their, at least how I see it, strange behavior when I have absolutely no idea why it is that they are acting that way? Maybe they're healing from an injury, if you will, and all I'm thinking is, "Man, they are WEIRD!" If I stopped and took a moment to ask, I'd find that they need to do some things "differently" in order to make a complete recovery. Sometimes, I need to stop my usual self-serving activity and take a moment to find out what's going on in the life of someone else. To look past what's happening on the outside. Who knows? Maybe God will allow me be a part of their healing. 

...The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7
New International Version 1984
(yes, taken a bit out of context, but I think the idea as a whole is preserved)