Egg on My Face

While finishing up some last minute touches on a blog post, I heard a loud sound blast through the house. My husband and I were upstairs when a large “Boom!” shot through the ceiling.

“What was that?” I asked rushing from my office. I would not have been surprised to find Gavin, our dog, into something. I ran down the stairs and my husband followed. Gavin looked suspicious and guilty - as if he had done something wrong. I turned the corner to the kitchen, my eyes still peering at the dog. He took his nose and thrust it toward the stove.

I rotated toward the stove and realized I made a huge mistake. I got so wrapped up in my writing that I completely forgot about the pot of eggs on the stove. The eggs had been cooking so long, the water evaporated and caused one to explode!  Yes – the explosion sounded like a shotgun going off.

In my effort to fix things, I grabbed the hot pan and tossed it into the sink. And I can’t describe what came next. Those of you who have foolishly done the same are laughing in your boots as I write. I turned the faucet on and allowed the cold water to hit the steaming hot eggs.

You guessed it. One of the eggs immediately exploded sending shrapnel of egg flying through the air. If it had been a gun it would have killed me. The egg busted wide open hitting me square in the face. The sound scared me more than anything else, but I won’t deny it was hot.

My heart leaped and I stood dumbfounded. I was in shock. There I was, covered in egg and tears. My husband looked at me. I thought, “Any minute he is going to grab hold of me and help clean me up.”

With his caring, loving, and humorous self, he simply said, “You have egg on your face.”

At that moment, laughter bust through our distressed situation. I’m still laughing about it. I think there’s even remnants of egg in my hair as I write.

According to World Wide Words, the phrase, “egg on your face” “often implies that you have made a serious mistake, but more strictly it indicates that something you have done (or some turn of events) has left you looking embarrassed or foolish.”

Well, my husband was right. I did have egg on my face.

When you end up with egg on your face – laugh it off. It’s okay. The good news is, we can wash away the physical stains while God takes care of the inward stains. Tomorrow is another day filled with – well – hopefully – not so many eggs.

 

 

Something to Laugh About

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14)

 

"Genesis 18:14 is the Lord's response to Sarah's laughter. Sarah laughs when she overhears the Lord tell Abraham that she will have a baby boy in a year's time. She laughs because never before has she been able to become pregnant. She laughs because she is ninety ears old. She laughs because she is a worn-out woman who long ago gave up the dream of a baby of her own. She laughs because she has lived for years with the indignity and shame of being childless. She laughs because she is all out of tears..."

 

My husband wrote this brief devotion a while back on our Daily Grace church Blog. Do you ever long for days when you could laugh? About anything? Where you ached to hear that unique vocal cry you haven't heard in a very long time?

 

I watched the beginning of the movie The Bucket List the other night. A phrase wedged in my heart and settled my mind on one particular line the actor said while making his list: "To laugh until I cry." That was his wish.

 

I love that! How long has it been since you've laughed - and hard! Sarah laughed at the idea that she could conceive a child at her age. It seemed funny to her that God could perform such a miracle.  

 

I don’t laugh enough. There – I said it. I need to laugh more, about life, about my circumstances, about the strange and silly things that go on. We all need to laugh more. We have become a people where trials and daily struggles jerk our fun filled emotions out of us and we’re left to sit in a puddle of muddy milky feelings. Laughter has run away.

But God created our feelings – including laughter. Did He intend for us to hide the laughter? For it to completely disappear?  

Yes – Sarah laughed at herself, the thought of such a miracle, and the joy of it. Abraham laughed too.

After her baby was born Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” (Gen 21:6) In the midst of her situation - she laughed. It wasn't wrong for Sarah to laugh - only to lie about laughing.

Job says, “He (God) will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

The Psalmist says, “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”

And Psalm 2 tell us that even, “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.”

Where has your laughter gone? Let us find our glee. Let us pray and ask God to fill us with laughter. It’s time for our nation to hear something other than our desolate shrieks. May our voices radiate a beautiful and unique sound. A sound that tells us God is ever present. A sound that announces, “I’m okay!” A sound that says, “Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me!”

Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves to laugh.

It's okay - Laugh

 

My Christmas Chaos

In the last week of Christmas my life as a Pastor’s Wife looked like  . . .

Twelve  . . . Christmas Eve candles (to purchase  - plus some)

Eleven . . . people needing prayer.

Ten . . . trips to my front door.

Nine . . . phone calls to return.

Eight . . .  food gift cards (to distribute).

Seven . . . gifts to wrap (for the needy plus baskets).

Six . . . pans of popcorn (to make)

Five . . . food box deliveries!

Four . . . staff members for dinner (and their children!)

Three . . . bags of milk (to give out)

 Two . . . slips on the ice.

And . . . One . . . trip to the E.R! (not for me – though it should have been.)

Make Laughter a Part of Your Journey

"It is bad to suppress laughter.

It goes back down and spreads to your hips."

After reading this quote it really made sense as to why my hips were so big! I have been suppressing laughter! (If only!) I wish I had been created with a sense of humor. It usually takes me a few minutes to "get" things, I often over analyze everything, and most people end up laughing at me because of it.

The three men I live with are very quick and witty. They banter back and forth and I often feel left out of their ability to be so humorous and their ability to come up with things so quickly. There are those occasions when I jump in with something I feel is funny - but most of the time it never works out. There are also those times when I stand and watch them roll on the floor from laughter while I stare and try to figure out why it was so funny.

There are days when I like their humor and there are days when I don't like it. There are days when I smile secretly at them when no one is watching and there are days when I turn my back and walk away from their silly humor.

The truth is - we need balance. I wish I could smile more - laugh more - enjoy more. Why am I too serious I ask? I have no idea. Perhaps it is because I am over compensating for their humor; trying to be the "stable one"  - the "serious one" - the "predictable one." Do I really want to carry that?

So I am asking God to fill my journey with much LAUGHTER. I do want to laugh - smile - and enjoy life so much more. Now . . . if  he could only help me figure out some of their jokes and humour - we'll be doing great!

Praying your journey is filled with laughter!