Shaken up

I had a day today where I am forcing myself not to ask the "What ifs...". This morning the kids and I were all in the family room. We were just finished with breakfast and still in our pjs. I was having a quiet time and a cup of coffee while they watched cartoons and ran around. Jaybird and Lydie were in the oversized chair laughing and talking (jabbering). All of a sudden, I heard a quick, cry and loud gasp. Lydie had grabbed the pull string to the blinds and wrapped it around her neck like a necklace. She leaned forward and it pulled tightly enough around her neck to take her breath away. Thankfully, I was five feet away on the sofa and I picked her up and unwrapped the string. It was such a close call that it actually left a red burn around her neck.
When it was all over, I was shaking.

The spot

The Lord only knows how many times a day we come in harm's way. Maybe this incident could have been prevented with safer kid-proofing. But many such accidents are unavoidable. And the truth is, most things are completely out of our control (even with our precious babies). I am reading an incredible, life-changing book called Bold Love by Dan Allender. It addresses the situations in life that seem from our perspective to be injustices doled out by God. I love it when an author will go there, to that place that is uncomfortable and that we all stuff down deep because we are afraid of what the truth might be. This book invites us to actually wrestle with God over our anger and misunderstanding of these type of situations. It is fascinating. Here's a clip:

"A hint may now be offered as to why grace is so demanding in its free offer- all that's required in response is stunned silence and overwhelmed gratitude. A stunned and grateful heart is free to love because it has been captured with the hilarious paradox that we are unlovely but loved, and unable to love but free to try without condemnation. And all efforts to love are made lovely and useful by a great Lover who superintends all our bumbling efforts and turns the dross of mixed motives to the gold of eternal intentions.

If this is true, why do so many seem to love so poorly? Part of the answer is that few are that silent or that grateful to God for the work of the Cross. Instead, most of us are somewhat irritated with God that He has not done more to resolve our struggles with an outstanding mortgage debt- or with the debt that is owed to us by a parent who abused us. To be honest, few Christians are that overwhelmed by the power of the gospel to save our souls from hell, because the unpleasant consequences of living in a fallen world feel too much like a hell in which God refuses to intervene."