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Sunday, August 10, 05:46:27am [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6 ]

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Date Posted: 10:13:42 11/02/03 Sun
Author: lynece
Subject: "Does God Dance on Your Potato Chips?" I got this on another board and I really needed it. I hope you ladies like it as well.

"Does God Dance on Your Potato Chips?"

Not too long ago I had "one of those days". I was feeling pressure from a
writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was
clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit
had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few
things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I got home, I was frazzled
and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner.

Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, I grabbed a can opener,
cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the
store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was
leftover baked beans. I grabbed a Tupperware from the fridge, popped the
seal, took a look and groaned.

My husband isn't a picky eater,! but even HE won't eat baked beans that look
like caterpillars. Really frustrated, now, I decided on a menu that promised
to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips.

Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the
cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again.
Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a
hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping
wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag,
and it was empty.

It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT
ANYMORE!!!" My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he
was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage:
An opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one
quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most
helpf! ul thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap,
landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and
dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process! I
stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile.

Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a
leap onto the chips. And then I danced.

Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I
was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't
need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the
laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.

So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped
on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when
I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help,
all the while hoping God would show up with a ! celestial broom and clean up
the mess I've made of things.

What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my
prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the
manner that is best for me after all. Sometimes I can see right away that
God's response was the best one after all. Sometimes I have to wait weeks or
months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular
prayer the way he did. There are even some situations that, years later, I'm
still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in
sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond.

Do I trust Him? Even when He's answering my prayers in a way that is
completely different from my expectations? Even when He's dancing and
stomping instead of sweeping and mopping? Can I embrace what He's offering?
Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines
and sulk, or am I willing to learn the st! eps of the dance He's dancin' with
my needs in mind?

I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on
doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I
realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can
trust Him. Even when the chips are down.

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