A LITTLE EFFORT

For today’s blog, I’ve decided to try my hand at a little dramatic writing. Tell me what you think 😉

I awoke early that morning, wanting to ensure I gave both myself and my family members enough time to prepare for the day. I excitedly picked out one of my favorite dresses to wear, pairing it with a new pair of heels. I gave myself an arm workout flat ironing my possibly-getting-too-long hair, and even put on actual makeup, instead of just mascara. After completing all of my tasks, I checked the clock and was elated to discover that I had planned accordingly. Giving myself a pat on the back, I sat on the couch, and rewarded my insightful self with thirty minutes of reading time.

Unfortunately, here the story takes quite the turn. The thirty minutes I had just given myself for relaxation quickly turned into thirty minutes of frenzy, as my family and I attempted to tie up all of the loose ends that would ensure we were ready for church. The atmosphere of our home was quickly filled with questions such as these:

• Where are the keys?

• Does this outfit look ok?

• Have the dogs gone outside?

• Where is the garage door opener?

• Are the doors locked?

• Are these pants too short?
  

Before I knew it, my relaxation time had slipped through my fingers. Flustered, we were sent the boys off to church to secure our seats. As the seconds continued to tick away, the nausea in my stomach grew stronger and stronger. I know you guys are shocked that I would have a flaw, but I do, and it my irrationally strong fear of being late. I could picture it so clearly: We arrive, a whole five minutes late, and are forced to do the “Walk of Shame” down the aisle, everyone’s eyes boring into our backs. Ugghh, doesn’t that picture just make you sick?

Finally, twenty minutes later, my mom and I were barreling down our driveway, willing the fates to help us make it to church on time (even though we were already ten minutes late. One can hope, right?). The next scene shows that fates really could not have cared less about our hopes and dreams. Suddenly, as if she could see my into my darkest nightmares, my mom mumbles something to herself that stops me dead in my tracks:

“I’m pretty sure I turned off my curling iron”

Oh. No. Although my mom was confident with her pretty sure, I was suddenly questioning whether or not I had turned off my flat iron off. Why had I put so much effort in? I was 10000% sure that a German Soccer Player was not going to be in the congregation today, so obviously straight hair where was not necessary.

Mentally kicking myself, I shout for my mom to stop, jump out of the car, and begin to race back to the house. Halfway there, I unfortunately remember that I have no idea what the keycode is to our new house (ok, stop judging me with your judgey eyes. I rarely go out that door!). Beginning to fully believe this day is cursed, I spin on my heel, preparing to run back to the car and retrieve the code from my mom.

All at once, the world around me begins to speed up and slow down simultaneously. Just as I catch sight of the car, my ankle betrays me, buckling under the weight of my spin and the give of the freshly watered ground. As my ankle rolls, I fall to the ground, annnnnnnnnnd give up. (Sure, I may not have rolled my ankle that bad, but I am done) Falling on the cold, hard ground was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and I no longer saw a need to get up and continue on with the day.

Splaying my legs out like a toddler, I sat in the wet grass, wearing my favorite dress and new heels, and begin to cry. Not just a little tear here and there, oh no, full on, ugly, out-bested sobs. It was only 11:00, and this day had already gotten the better of me.

“Oh honey! Are you alright?”, my mom calls out, running to my side. How does she manage to be so graceful in heels?

Swallowed up by my tears, I am not even able to give her answer. Instead, I continue to sit on the groun with my ankle throbbing, my eyes re-watering the grass, and a newfound determination to NOT go to church. The meeting will be shortened because of the pandemic anyway, and by this point we will be over fifteen minutes late, is it really even worth going?

Fully determined to head back into the house, put on my pajamas, and go back to bed, I rise to my feet, test out my ankle (it’s completely fine), and trudge back to the car. Curse my heart, and its sudden desire for logic and doing the right thing.

So, what do you think so far? Honestly, I think that I could KILL IT as a dramatic author. I definitely have the personality for it 😉 Seriously, could I be anymore dramatic? Don’t worry the story gets better from here, and is just another example of how the Lord turns our messes into miracles.

At fifteen minutes past eleven, my mom and I roll into the parking lot. Taking a deep breath, I psych myself up to tackle one of my greatest fears, and push open the car door before I can change my mind. As we made our way into the way-too-quiet chapel, I beg my shoes to be quieter, and become very engrossed by the pattern in the carpet. Thankfully, the boys have selected a pew relatively close to the back, and before I know it, I am settled in my seat, listening to incredible talk on willingness (what a cowinkydink!)

Later that day, having arrived home and already in my comfy sweats, I was so grateful I had gone to church, because it had helped to turn my whole day around. That’s the great thing about God, He accepts any effort we put in, and uses it for our good. That fateful Sunday, the Lord took my little seed of effort, just getting up and finishing what I started, and blessed me beyond compare. The fruits of my efforts were evident that very day, as can be seen below:

1. We were invited to attend a baptism over Zoom for one of our favorite families.

2. We all laughed until we cried, as we pictured my temper tantrum in the grass.

3. We actually found a movie we were all willing to watch. M-I-R-A-C-L-E

4. I had a hilarious, hour-long catch up session with my cousin.

5. Despite the New Mexico Monsoon season trying to overtake me, it could not bring me down.

How incredible is that? Even though I put in the littlest bit of effort, the Lord recognized that for me, that was a big step, and that I was doing my very best. Even though we missed about half of the meeting, The Lord used my short time at church to give my mood a much-needed boost, which in turn allowed me to actually enjoy the rest of my day. Can you imagine what would have happened if I had taken the easier route, and continued to lay in the grass? I can tell you one thing, my family would not have enjoyed it NEAR as much.

So, here is what I hope you take away from this overly dramatic blog:

1. I really hoped you laughed at my falling down as much as I did. That was flippin’ hilarious, and I seriously wish I had gotten it on camera.

2. Never compare your best effort to someone else’s. We all have to go at our own pace, and the Lord is deeply aware of who we are. He knows that sometimes just getting to church is all we can do, and He is so happy with any effort we make to draw closer to Him. Not only does the very act of the effort bring us peace and joy, it also brings incredible blessings. How amazing is that?

So, if you ever start to beat yourself up about the “minimal effort” you are putting in, just remember that a twenty-four-year-old from New Mexico somehow managed to spin a blessing out of falling on the ground and crying 😉. ANYONE can top that!