Face-Plant!

This week on the blog I was going to share a few summer activities to do with your kids...until I fell down!

Saturday night I was visiting with my neighbor while I was walking back home with two armsful of produce from her garden. Without warning, I tripped and 'face-planted' my teeth into her concrete driveway. I rolled over and asked her if I had any teeth left!

"Yes, your teeth are there, but I think you broke your nose" she reassured me.

In my confusion, I picked up my bags of produce, still intact, and hurried home to assess the damage.

After a trip to the emergency room Saturday night and the dentist yesterday, I am amazed that the body is able to take such trama and hold together.

My deeper concern surfaced minutes after my fall, however, when I thought, what is this going to do with MY LOOKS! I humbly confess that my issue wasn't with the fact that I may be gumming my food for six months, it was how was I going to face the next day if my face was all bashed in.

I know we women can encourage one another that our looks do matter, and that I would be justified in thinking that way, but I am not sure that that should have been my first concern. It wasn't MY LOOKS that would be stabilizing my thinking as I went forward with this situation.

My next thought was about my theme for this year: humility. I would have smiled when I thought of the irony of this if the pain wasn't so intense. 'Oh Lord, I've had humility as my focus all year but apparently there are more lessons here to learn'.

My thoughts were sporadic at best, but the thought that calmed my soul the most was this question, "Will you pursue ME in the process of whatever you are going through?"

That brought my thoughts into perspective. That has kept my mind at ease.

Once again I was reminded that being a follower of Jesus requires me pursuing Him daily so when my life is run-amok I can stabilize quicker and apply some truth into my situation.

I haven't always done that.

I have counted on my own devices and strengths to pull me through more often than I would like to admit.

But everytime I rely on myself, I demand answers. Why did this happen? What are you doing here, Lord? What could I have done differently?

By asking myself if I am going to pursue God in the process of this fall, the answer isn't as important as the process I am going through.