Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Whoosh!


Don’t you just love it when life throws you one of those unexpected little surprises? You think you have it all together and you’re looking good and then suddenly, whoosh, a big gust of wind blows your dress up over your head and there you are. Suddenly, nothing is more important than getting that dress back in place and regaining some semblance of dignity and composure. 


These kinds of surprises happen to me a lot, it seems. Like the morning when I was on my way to work, all dressed up with my briefcase in hand and my hair styled just the way I like it. If I recall correctly, I was actually whistling as I walked out of the parking garage on my way to the office. Then, just as I turned the corner out of the garage, whoosh, a big gust of wind attacked me from out of nowhere. It picked me up off the ground, slamming me down on the pavement with my skirt over my head, right in front of a busload of people. There I was, sprawled out on the pavement, humiliated and embarrassed. 


The people on the bus seemed pleased to have some entertainment to break up their morning commute to work. They glared out of the bus window like they were watching some kind of reality television show. I have found people just can’t help but watch when they see someone in a car accident, or stranded beside the road, or, as in my case, slam-dunked by nature. If I had been on the bus, I would have been staring too. After all, I know good entertainment when I see it. 


After a few minutes, I managed to slowly pick myself up off the pavement, brush myself off, grab my briefcase and, with my head held high, finish making my way to the office. Only this time I wasn’t whistling. 


By the time I got to my desk my nice hair style had been blown into a Bride-of-Frankenstein look. 


“Did you come by broom this morning?” a co-worker asked jokingly. 


I just slumped in my chair, put my head down and tried to ignore the remark. Little did I know when I got up that morning, showered, styled my hair and put on my makeup that I would later be sprawled out on a public street, with a busload of people staring down at me. This definitely was not part of my plan for the day. 


That’s how life is though. We plan, prepare, put everything in place and, whoosh; life sends us a surprise gust of wind. That’s why it’s so important to do what it says in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.” (The Message) 


If we only trust in our own plans and our own understanding, we leave a lot of room for discouragement, confusion and sudden gusts of wind. Trusting in God beyond all our own understanding goes against our human nature because we want to reason everything out for ourselves. However, life is much simpler when we place every aspect of it in the hands of God, listening to His voice and following His guidance and direction. It may not always follow our own reasoning, but God’s ways are higher than our ways. Anchoring ourselves in His Word and His promises and trusting Him to know what is right for our lives will protect us when that sudden whoosh of wind blows around us. Then we won’t find ourselves flat on our back in the middle of our journey with our dresses up over our heads. 


Excerpt from "Life is a Buffet So What's On Your Plate?" Copyright © 2009 by Polly D. Boyette  "All rights reserved."

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