I hastily buckled in Prince Charming, jumped in the driver's seat, and threw the car into reverse.
And then...
CRUNCH!
Instantly, I knew I had done something really, really stupid. Something you can't just say, "oops" and then forget about.
You know, it's always wise to wait for the garage door to finish opening before you try to exit the garage.
As I inspected the damage, the door was off the track, looked slightly mangled and required a lot of effort just to get it up enough so I could back the car out. There was nothing more I could do, and had to drive away, leaving the door wide open because it would no longer close.
Driving to the school, all I could think about was how stupid I had been, of how much money I had probably just cost us, and I cringed, knowing I needed to call my husband and confess before he beat me home and saw the mangled door.
So of course, I did what any sane, grown-up woman would do- I called my mama. : )
Unfortunately, she wasn't home, and my Dad answered instead. And he was NO HELP AT ALL! He chuckled unsympathetically, and quite cynically, and said,
"Oh man, he is going to be so mad at you! He isn't going to be happy at all!"
Thanks, Dad. Just the encouragement I needed.
Unable to postpone the inevitable any loner, I parked in the school parking lot, and dialed my cell phone. And you know what?
Instead of condemning me or expressing the anger I was sure was due to me, King Charming said, "It's OK. I'll check it out when I get home."
At home, he whistled while he worked on the garage door, getting it back on track. Then he walked in the kitchen, gave me a kiss and hug and said, "Well, it works again." Then he winked and said, "And the big bulge in the door gives it character."
I couldn't believe the difference between the reaction I anticipated receiving and the mercy and grace he showed me instead.
I was given MERCY.
The definition of mercy is NOT getting what you do deserve.
I was shown GRACE.
The definition of grace is getting what you DON'T deserve.
I thought of how this little melodrama that unfolded here Wednesday afternoon was a picture of how Jesus treats me- forgiving me, taking my punishment upon Himself to show me mercy, and loving me with a grace that I do not deserve.
This whole thing made me thankful, and humble. LOL.
Don't they say that people want houses with character? Mine has some now. : )
Happy Friday All!
Love,
Posts
8 comments:
Oh man, Becky, I can't tell you how many times Aaron has had to extend grace and mercy to me in this same way. It really is a picture of what Christ does for us. We can be thankful for godly husbands!!
Amy
I chuckled over whom you chose to call first! LOL! Seriously, this is a wonderful story of mercy and grace. It reminded me of something I did once that Uncle Steve just laughed about, then fixed. We've got pretty good guys, Beck!
Love you!
Aunt Karen
I really enjoyed your story Becky. You are most blessed to have such a good husband, but mostly a good man. Because we all now, that it doesn't take much for some 'men' to go off and act like a 2-year old crybaby. The word he said that told me most of all that he knew that it was no big deal and gave levity to the situation is character. That the big bulge gave the door character. Sort of a red badge of courage for the door. Remember next time count to five before using the gear shifter...lol :) Take care and God Bless
Love this! What a picture of your husband living out the command to love you as Christ loves the Church....mercifully and full of grace! Awesome, Becky! :)
Lest you berate yourself any longer, here's my dumb car story.
Back in AZ, I used to drive an Audi Q7. Great car, except it took premium gas, so we ended up trading it in when gas prices went insane. So, anyway, one day I pulled into the garage and got a little close to the side, and kind of clipped the side view mirror, just enough so the mirror folded in a little (like it's supposed to, like if you go to the car wash or something). I thought to myself "I'm going to have to remember I did that when I back out, so I don't screw up the mirror." In retrospect, I realize I should have just fixed my little parking problem right then, because OF COURSE I didn't remember it the next time I started to back out, and as I reversed down my drive I COMPLETELY DESTROYED MY SIDE VIEW MIRROR. Like fiberglass and metal and plastic parts flying into my front yard, destroyed. And because it had all kinds of fancy electronic parts, they had to special order new stuff and it cost almost $1000 to replace.
But I, too, am fortunate to have a gracious husband. He sensed the deep chagrin I felt over the whole thing and was very understanding and didn't get mad at me over it. So I've been there, Becky, YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE.
And more recently, I tried to close the garage door while my back door was still open, but that just left a bad scratch on the car door. Not quite as dramatic as the other story.
Made me cry! Beautifully said! My mom's usually the first one I call, too. :)
It's funny how things don't always turn out how we'd expect. Poor things--we're often harder on ourselves than the Savior (or our husbands) are on us.
Thanks for sharing and it's great to "meet" you, Becky!
Do you remember doing the same thing to our van when we lived in Oak Harbor???
Post a Comment