Daily Devotional

Oops!

by Heidi Verheyden on September 20, 2022

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."  1 Corinthians 15:58

What an incredible mini crisis - and what an important time of processing and wondering.  You can probably relate.

I was working with some other people painting a mural, and we were very close to finishing, just doing a few touch- up spots, making a last minute decisions about some accent colors.  We were in a "happy place" knowing we were accomplishing so much that day. While talking through some options, I picked up a paint can and began to shake it to mix up.  You know what I mean, I was making sure the paint was consistent and blended. While shaking the can vigorously, the lid opened and out dumped what seemed like gallons of paint all over the floor! It just kept coming.  Even though the one-gallon can was only 1/2 full, it seemed like there were gallons of paint all over the carpet.  Quickly the conversation changed from casual chatting to a bit of disbelief, a chuckle, and then a quick evaluation of the situation. Mini crisis, and possible major change to the carpet.

In a crisis moment, everyone has a different reaction. There are people that go into director mode and assign roles to people, there are people that watch and are not sure what to do, and there are others who would like to help and will do a task if assigned them. Everyone is wired differently and responds differently.  Everyone's previous exposure to a crisis has a great deal to do with their reaction.

Sometimes because of training and experiences with other crises situations - it is a pretty calm reaction. I have had plenty of opportunities to learn good responses.  In this particular situation with the paint can I knew it was not a life-or-death moment involving personal trauma, unless you are one of those people who think carpet and throw rugs are alive. In the initial few seconds after the paint spilled, people reacted.  Over the course of the next 15- 20 minutes people worked together to remove the mess. We had more than one good approach, and it was cleaned up very well.   After the clean up, all that was left was a great number of jokes about this experience and wonderful stories about previous life experiences concerning the crisis.

Here's what I find interesting. There wasn’t anyone with a clipboard giving assigned roles, it was a combined effort of a team throwing out possible ideas and solutions, sorting through what was on hand and what could be found quickly. In the end, with many hands, lots of water, paper towels, a shop vac and laughter, the mess was cleaned up.

There are many different times we encounter a need. Let's try and raise our awareness to be on the lookout for ways we can serve. Step up and lend a hand, and if necessary, provide a little direction to others with specific ideas. Many people need to be asked and given permission to be involved to actually be constructively involved.  At the same time, you may just simply be a set of hands and feet providing assistance. Regardless, be ready for the opportunity to serve like Christ when it arises. It may be messy, it might be simple, it might take longer than you thought - but it is so worth serving!

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