Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes.
He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the
cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He
scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup
of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now
had a few tracks left by his kitten.
Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be
something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. He didn't know
what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove, (and he
didn't know how the stove worked!).
Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her
away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up
this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and
sticky. And just then he saw Dad standing at the door.
Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was
something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was
coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him. Then, walking
through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting
his own pajamas white and sticky in the process.
That's how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it turns
into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend or we can't
stand our job or our health goes sour. Sometimes we just stand there in tears
because we can't think of anything else to do. That's when God picks us up and
loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him.
But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying to "make pancakes," for
God or for others. Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll be glad
we tried...
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Bill Dorman
chaplain@bdadvertising.com
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