The closet....

So I took all 4 of my kids on a quick errand with me after church today and let me just go ahead and tell you that I was alone. So we go into one of my favorite shops in downtown Franklin in search of a certain pair of shoes that Claire wanted to buy with some birthday money that she got from her Gramma. Claire and I are in the front of the store while Jack, Tucker and Ellie had ventured to the back of the store because they like this stool that is shaped like a rock climbing wall in the shoe section.

As luck would have it, boys will be boys and that's exactly how they were acting towards their little sister. Jack decided to push Ellie into the store room (so I'm told) and when he did he closed the door to keep her from coming out which then caused the boxes and shelving that were being held up behind the door to fall and basically trap her inside. I discovered all of this when I went back to round up the troops to end what I thought was an uneventful trip for once! So I manage to get her out of the store room and put everything back the way it was before the Brady kids showed up and everything was calm and well with the world. I picked up Ellie, wiped away her tears, gave Jack "the look" and then quickly apologized to the guy running the store and we were on our way.

As irritated/angry as I was at Jack, God used this situation to remind me of the study that we began this week. I think for a lot of us, myself included, when we figure out what our idols are we begin to feel a lot like Ellie did.....trapped! She felt totally helpless and afraid that she wasn't going to get out of the store room, a place that she shouldn't have been in the first place but found herself none-the-less. She was helpless to clear out all of the junk that had fallen and boxed her in, it was truly to much for her to move on her own. Idols will do that to you and sometimes it's when you least expect it. We find ourselves trapped in the middle of the junk that our idols bring totally overwhelmed at what we have to do to get ourselves out. It seems easier to stand there and cry than to muster all of the strength that we have to move the junk out of the way.

It took a few minutes but I managed to get the door open and wiggle my arm in and maneuver some of the stuff and eventually get her out. I think that's what God does for us when we begin to realize that breaking away from our idols is way more than we can do ourselves. Yes, we got ourselves into the mess but he cares for and loves us so much that He comes in and carefully and methodically frees us from our messes. All we have to do is stand there and cry out for help.