Before Christmas, I took Sophia to Plaster Fun Time to make gifts for her parents. Once she realized what the store was all about, it quickly became her favorite place to go & she declared, “Mimi, I could come here every day!”.
This week I decided to take her back. They had some small magnets that she could choose from & she quickly decided upon three: a turtle for Uncle, who had a conversation that morning with her about turtles & then two for her – a carrot magnet because carrots are her favorite vegetable & a baseball because she loves to play ball.
She painted them with such intensity. She chose her colors with such thought. She picked a glossy finish so they would shine. We brought them home in the little tray provided & she knew that she would not be able to hold them until after her nap.
When she awoke & it was time to go home, she wanted to carry them in her hands. The fact that she had not been able to hold them & feel them until now was the issue. She was so very proud of them. In her excitement, she began “tapping” them together. We warned her that if she continued to do that, they would chip. She insisted that she was doing it gently. The inevitable happened…….
But they didn’t just chip. No….Worse……
The carrot one broke in half.
You can well imagine the scene that followed.
The tears.
The remorse.
The desire for someone to make it right.
How I scurried about the house in search for Super Glue!
How often I have been like Sophia, unheeding. Perhaps thinking I knew best even.
“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”                    (Proverbs 12:15 NIV).
May I be a woman who can listen to the advice of others & not be headstrong. There are times when, in our own eyes, our opinions can seem right when they are not. May I remain pliable & teachable. May I remember that God longs to instruct me & guide me & that His ways are best for me.
Thank God, for Super Glue! Seriously. Sophia went home with her carrot magnet in one piece. One could only slightly detect the crack. The magnet now imperfect but still so loved. I was reminded that I, too, am imperfect. The cracks in my life can still be detected but He has put me back together.
“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4: 7-9).