One Question. Five Words.

Templates + color + paper + scissors + lamination

=

HOURS of fun and delight for my inner crafty, OCD, organizational self.

I spent the better part of the morning redesigning the templates my friend sent me. I changed the colors so that each of my kiddos would have their own set of like colors, personalized the pictures to include our family, and then printed the templates out on good quality cardstock. Cutting it all out took nearly two hours, but I was determined to get it done so that I could take my project to the "make-my-heart-skip-a-beat-when-I -walk-in-the-door" store to be laminated.

Mission accomplished. Re-designing was done. Printing was done. Cutting was done. Time for lamination. Oh, the joys that flood my soul! I dropped said materials off at the "make-my-heart-skip-a-beat-when-I-walk-in-the-door" store to be laminated while I went to do some other shopping.

As I pulled back into the parking lot of said store to pick up said project my heart was all aflutter because I knew my night would be spent cutting out the project that was now LAMINATED!!!!!! Pure delight!!!!

Seeing the excitement in my eyes, hubby put the kiddos to bed so that I could resume my obsession with my crafty, organizational project that happened to be laminated. Ahhhh....

I began unrolling the 10 feet of lamination that lay on my dining room table. Heart palpitating. Hands sweating. Overwhelmed with anticipation of what my eyes were about to behold.

And then...

Horror. HORROR flooded my mind and filled my heart. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Was I really seeing what I thought I was seeing? My beautiful crafty, organizational project RUINED by a poor lamination job. Oh, the searing pain of loss! Oh, the depths of sorrow my heart felt!

And then...

Horror turned to ANGER. "Have these people NO idea the hours I've spent making this baby beautiful? Do they not know those Ziploc bags held more than just strips of paper? They obviously have no idea what happens when a crafty, organizational, OCD teaching momma's heart is shattered into a million pieces because her project is RUINED! First thing Monday morning we will have a reckoning them and I! Oh, yes we will!!!" I thought to myself.

It's a good thing (really a GOD thing) I had a day or so to think through my madness. God began dealing heavily with me about how I was reacting to this situation.

Here's what He spoke to my heart...

"What in the world are you thinking? It's only stuff. You have NO idea what was or is going on in the heart of the person who works at the store. I sent you there for a reason! Be a light for Me! Love this person! See past this persons flaws, I saw past yours, and see their hurting heart!"

I did call the store on Monday. And, I did share my disappointment with the result of my product. But, I did it with love and compassion. The manager of the store asked me to drop by and allow them to take a look at what had been done. They assured me they would do everything they could to make it right.

So, once again I pulled into the parking lot of the "make-my-heart-skip-a-beat-when-I-walk-in-the-door" store, but this time my heart was focused not on my crafty, organizational project gone ever so wrong; instead, my heart was focused on the heart of the person who stood behind the counter.

We stood at the counter chit chatting while peeling bad laminate off strips of paper.

Then it happened. One question, five words. The reason I was there.

"Can I pray for you?" I asked. Five words that changed the course of our conversation. One question that would draw our hearts together. Five words that would open my eyes to the hand of God working in my every day happenings. One question that would give this individual opportunity to unload burdens and hurts and pains they had been carrying for years.

God taught me a huge lesson! A lesson that I will not soon forget. A lesson in seeing Him in the every day. A lesson in looking past my own selfish desires. A lesson in seeing down to the heart of a person. A lesson in obeying. A lesson is loving. A lesson in compassion. A lesson in being the hands and feet of Jesus.

"Finally, all of you be of one mind,

having compassion for one another;

love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;"

1 Peter 3:8, NKJV

One question? Five words? What would God have you ask the individuals He places in your life today? Will you obey?

Oh, and by the way. Guess what I'm getting? A laminating machine of my very own. Yes ma'am I am!! For FREE!!!!! Ain't God good!!!