Houston, We Have a Problem
Have you ever wondered how an embarrassing moment goes from bad to worse? Have you raised an eyebrow at your life choices and questioned your decision-making skills? Have you been frantic internally and seemingly never missed a beat?
I have. While several examples exist, this story rises to the top.
I unraveled. Maybe you’ve been there too.
This last sentence was the week’s grand prize. I tucked it away in my heart pocket and took it home with me along with some newfound professional grit. The position eventually ended, and I moved to another city, but the lesson of God's abiding presence has never left.
Tide pens, terrible embarrassment, long commutes, learning to laugh instead of cry, cringing with regret, and coffee lids that pop off --- all moments for God to Speak Girl into your story.
Big Love,
Jo
*Fun Fact. Since that meeting, I have kept an extra set of clothes in my office closet. Behind the feet of Jesus, heart lessons and life lessons can coexist. I’d like to say I’ve never had to use them, but that would not be accurate. In recent days, I managed to get grape jelly in four places on a white shirt. I’m talented that way.
I have. While several examples exist, this story rises to the top.
I was scheduled to present in a meeting as part of an upcoming symposium on rural health. I had prepared and felt ready; my material was good. On the commute, in true-to-me style, I spilled a full cup of coffee in my lap. It was hot, messy, and game-changing. Suddenly, my confidence sat along with the coffee. Both begging to be cleaned up and waiting for restoration. It was a long commute, and the miles gave me plenty of time to brainstorm.
Thankfully, I had worn a chocolate brown patterned dress that sort of hid the stain. Or at least, that’s the story I told myself. When I walked into the office suite, the mirror on the wall told a different story. The story being that it looked like I had spilled a full cup of coffee in my lap. The spot was far outside of the Tide pen range, and it was too early to shop at a department store.
A bit frantic, but still in problem-solving mode, I located the bathroom where I dabbed, wiped, and cleaned with frenzy. My results culminated in a large wet stain on the front of my dress. As it turns out, adding a large wet stain to a big coffee stain did not improve the situation. Meanwhile, the clock kept ticking.
At some point, and I can’t completely explain the logic, I decided that the solution to the problem was to wash the entire front of the dress. I took it off, proceeded with that plan, and redressed. Here is my summation of the moment.
I went from an I Spilled Coffee stain to Houston We Have a Problem.
I unraveled. Maybe you’ve been there too.
But as professional life goes, the show went on. Much to my embarrassment, there was no free pass waiting for me. No escape hatch to disappear within. The meeting was scheduled, and my presence was required, unraveled or not.
So, I prayed. I prayed the kind of prayer that a messy, embarrassed, professional, Jesus-loving woman prays. I may have whispered something that sounded like a fire alarm and a whimper combined. A bit frantic, I reached for Jesus in my heart. And the King of All Creation heard me.
When my appointed time came, I walked into the meeting wearing a now odd, large brown stain on the front of my dress, and discussed rural healthcare with confidence. It was epic. And it was a definite Only Jo and Jesus Moment.
What I thought would sink me, did not.
What I thought would resolve the problem, did not.
What I thought would be a routine meeting, was not.
That morning, amid an epic coffee cup/clothing debacle, I heard the familiar voice of love in my heart – ever reminding me that God knows me fully and loves me more.
No one understands my messy frequency better than Jesus.
If God chuckles in love, it’s with me, never at me.
This last sentence was the week’s grand prize. I tucked it away in my heart pocket and took it home with me along with some newfound professional grit. The position eventually ended, and I moved to another city, but the lesson of God's abiding presence has never left.
Tide pens, terrible embarrassment, long commutes, learning to laugh instead of cry, cringing with regret, and coffee lids that pop off --- all moments for God to Speak Girl into your story.
Big Love,
Jo
*Fun Fact. Since that meeting, I have kept an extra set of clothes in my office closet. Behind the feet of Jesus, heart lessons and life lessons can coexist. I’d like to say I’ve never had to use them, but that would not be accurate. In recent days, I managed to get grape jelly in four places on a white shirt. I’m talented that way.
Friend, in the emotional world, embarrassment can run deep. As a feeling and a moment, it can find the shortest stick of our self-esteem and draw it into view. A tumbling downhill situation can ensue, and we can go from questioning one decision to questioning every decision. When this happens, prayer is a first move, and the one that grounds you in God’s assuring love.
Perhaps you don’t spend your mornings brainstorming stain-removing remedies, but having a Houston-we-have-a-problem kind of problem is something we can all relate to. Thankfully, God gets this moment. Not because He has problems. In truth, Scripture states the opposite. Jeremiah 32:17 reads, “Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (ESV).
Nothing. In this verse, that is a powerful, true word.
In an earlier post I wrote that God carries the bear spray. In my case, He most likely needs a stain pen too. Seriously, God gets us fully – every moment of being on point, all the moments when we wish we could disappear, and every point in between the two. We can’t unravel beyond His ability to help.
Perhaps today, my grand prize sentence is what your heart really needs:
Perhaps you don’t spend your mornings brainstorming stain-removing remedies, but having a Houston-we-have-a-problem kind of problem is something we can all relate to. Thankfully, God gets this moment. Not because He has problems. In truth, Scripture states the opposite. Jeremiah 32:17 reads, “Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (ESV).
Nothing. In this verse, that is a powerful, true word.
In an earlier post I wrote that God carries the bear spray. In my case, He most likely needs a stain pen too. Seriously, God gets us fully – every moment of being on point, all the moments when we wish we could disappear, and every point in between the two. We can’t unravel beyond His ability to help.
Perhaps today, my grand prize sentence is what your heart really needs:
If God chuckles in love, it’s with me, never at me.
Start the conversation. What do you need to tell God? What do you need to hear from Him?
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