The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15
My son had a crew of guys here, and I really was trying to be on my best behavior so I wouldn’t embarrass my boys. There may have been times in the past when I didn’t realize the phone was in use and they got to be serenaded by my not so wonderful singing voice or something that my family might falsely consider “crazy.” I was determined to show them how civilized and normal I could be.
Unfortunately, my good intentions went flying out the window when I was attacked right there in my own kitchen! Nobody was around to witness the fact that the sprayer located beside the faucet came alive and began an assault on me, but they sure did hear it. Why can’t things in this house be normal? For once, can I please not say or do something that makes me look completely off my rocker? All I was looking for was a few days.
The hollering for my hubby started…maybe that isn’t the most accurate statement. The drawn-out version of my hubby’s name was quite loudly being amplified throughout the house after letting out quite the yelp as water was dripping off me. That’s more accurate. Was this a practical joke that he was pulling?
I never realized how dangerous that seemingly innocent sprayer could be until recognizing how it’s always aimed directly at the person standing in front of the sink. I now know that something innocent and helpful when rinsing out the sink or filling up a water jug can be quite dangerous when it goes rogue.
After I got the button unstuck (there wasn’t any tape holding it down; I checked), my hubby cautiously made his way over to examine the situation. He found nothing wrong, I dried myself off, and we continued going about our day.
This wasn’t the only time it happened to me (only me) within a couple weeks. I’d forget to check it before turning on the water and then bam! It was happening again. Yesterday, I was having a really rough day when it decided to go into attack mode for the final time. Now, the first couple times was kind of funny because I thought it really would be a brilliant joke. That last time didn’t find me in such an accommodating mood though.
My perturbed voice definitely got my hubby’s attention, but what he said certainly got mine. He haughtily stated, “I fixed it. It doesn’t happen to anyone else.” Well gee. Since you all are staying dry, that’s all that matters. It must be me and not the sprayer that has the problems.
In a pity-party moment I started questioning why it was happening only to me. Why was I the special one that gets the shock of water spraying at me? Why didn’t anyone care, just because it wasn’t them going through it?
Do you see how ridiculous that is when it was just some water being sprayed on me? Those thoughts could easily lead me down a dark path that’s full of loneliness and heartache. They’re like a little snowball that picks up speed and gets more and more snow packed onto it until a whole snowman could be made out of it. How did I go from seeing the humor in my situation to being depressed?
Just like the dirt and mineral deposits might have clogged that sprayer causing it to malfunction on me, my insecurities might’ve begun to clog my mind, causing it to throw out misinformation telling me I’m not normal or good enough. It’s scary when we think we’re alone and vulnerable.
There’s a secret that we forget during these times. We’re never alone. We always have a parent that never leaves our side. Nobody could love us more, have all the answers to our problems, or see that our future doesn’t depend on our past. That parent didn’t make us to be normal. He made us special no matter what our circumstances seem like right now, no matter how many things go wrong for us, and no matter how insignificant we feel.
I didn’t need to be normal just because there were a bunch of teens at my house. That isn’t how God made me. I don’t think He made anyone else normal either by the way. What exactly is normal? If someone is that in one area, I guarantee they aren’t in another. Normal is fairly boring if you ask me, and it doesn’t make us very unique and special!
Also, we need to remember that there were many times some of our greatest men and women of the Bible had to feel incredibly alone, only to find out they weren’t. Those were the same ones who went on to do great things in their lives. They ended up being great leaders; however, they didn’t know what special things God had planned for them during their dark times.
The next time you feel alone, think of that spray hitting me. It eventually woke me up; let it wake you up too instead of believing its only purpose is to attack you! That parent…Abba, Father…is there to break the chains that make us slaves within our own minds, being held captive by the dirt and deposits of our thoughts that don’t serve any positive purpose. They simply create a buildup of depression and angst. That sprayer had to be completely replaced. Sometimes our thoughts do too so they don’t go rogue!
I challenge you to laugh at normal. See your situation as one where Abba will use for your learning and growth. Are you going to give Him the chance to mold you into an incredible leader for the future? Just like those in the Bible who felt alone but weren’t, neither are you.
