I never fail to wonder at God’s ability to deliver little lessons to me in the strangest of places and at the oddest of times. My latest revelation happened about 3 weeks ago in the bathroom of Chik-fil-A in Surprise, Arizona. I was standing at the sink with my hands well- lathered when a little ginger-headed girl skipped into the space by my side. She could barely reach the counter, but standing on her tiptoes, she managed to turn on the water. Quickly, she thrust her chubby arms into the cold stream, and then just as quickly pulled those plump arms out again. With her wet fingers she turned off her water and then shook her hands flinging water everywhere including onto me. Finding this “shake dry” method inefficient, she proceeded to wipe her little fingers all over her shorts. Happy with that solution, she turned to me and said, “My mommy said I had to wash my hands but she didn’t say I had to use soap or dry them.” She spun around and disappeared into the restaurant leaving me at first agog, then doubled over with laughter.
I am a nurse by training – have in years past taught nursing at a junior college – and from Day 1, we are taught and then subsequently teach others that proper hand washing is the best way to avoid all kinds of illness. The hand washing accomplished by this little carrot-top was not the kind to which I had aspired. In fact, I would have failed any of my students in that skill set using the no-soap-dry-hands-on-pants method.
The little red-head did exactly what her mother told her to do – washed her hands, but she had omitted both soap and drying which her mom had also omitted on this occassion . In so many ways this mirrors my relationship with my Heavenly Father. When I look at my life and at His laws, I fail at much of it. I look specifically at what I am allowed to do, but so often find a way to ignore the things that I don’t really want to be bothered with. Carrot-top didn’t want to use soap, some days I don’t want to use patience. She doesn’t want to use paper towels to dry her hands- too inconvenient to reach. I don’t want to change the channel from the TV show I know God wouldn’t approve of – too inconvenient to get up to get the remote. See what I mean?
The wonderfully amazing thing is this: God takes care of my “hand washing.” It’s called grace. He knows that I cannot help but fail to live His laws; and in His love and justice He provides me with the fulfillment of His law in the form of His Son.
As for my little hand washing-challenged friend, I can only hope that her hand washing attempts will improve before she becomes a Chik-Fil-A line cook.
The Unexpected Life 