I have to be honest with you. We have 18 bowls here in the hostel and one of them is cracked and has a burnt spot on it. I can’t stand that bowl. It drives me crazy. Yet I always get that bowl. I put it on the bottom of the stack and yet many mornings when I get up to have cereal and reach for a bowl-that is the one I get. It keeps creeping up to bug me. I know it is only a bowl, but it still has a mind of its own. 
I have been thinking about that bowl today. There is a lesson it is trying to teach me: like how when I don’t deal with a problem, but instead push it aside, it will come up again and again. My attitude and my lack of patience are two good examples of me not dealing with things correctly. I did awful in that area today. I had a bad attitude and was quite impatient. I will tell you about it because it is proof that I am quite human. For the meal on Sunday, I decided to make Chicken Fettuccine because I found some fettuccini noodles at Hypermarket and thought I could splurge on them. Now when I say I “found” something, I don’t mean I was taking a walk outside and a box of noodles fell from the sky. Let me explain what I mean. We have three stores here that we can get stuff from: Hypermarket is the nice one with air-conditioning, and the big wide aisles. Aneka Mas is the store to go to if you want cheese, or streaky bacon. Victory is the store that has chicken and shampoo but not conditioner. So whenever we are out I am always looking to see if there is anything new. Every once in awhile there will be new things, like Doritoes, or Jif peanut butter, or canned cranberries. If you see it and think that you might want to use it in the next few years, buy it because they may never have that item here again. So when I found the fettuccini noodles I grabbed them. I always cook the Sunday meal for everyone and so I knew this would be a yummy change in menu. Well, it was delicious-once I cooked the noodles, made my own sauce, and cooked and deboned all of my chickens. I try to make enough for leftovers since Sunday dinner is “eat whatever is left in the fridge night.” One of the dorm girls came into the kitchen at about 5:30 to get something to eat, took the container of leftover fettuccini out of the fridge and then dropped the whole container all over the floor spilling the contents everywhere. I can tell you right now, that my initial reaction was not one of grace, nor was I putting a comforting arm around her shoulders and telling her it was alright. My head knew that it was an accident, but my impatience told me that I had a right to make her feel bad. She wasted a ton of food and money by not being careful. I wanted to ream her, but instead I walked away. I knew that she knew I was mad-I kind of wanted her to know that. But it wasn’t right. I know it wasn’t. It is like that burnt bowl popping up again to remind me to deal with the situation-don’t just put it aside. So after I calmed down, I went back to her and told her that I knew it was a mistake and I forgave her. I know she was grateful.
You know, I make mistakes all the time-far worse ones than dropping noodles-I yell at my kids, I talk with a sting to my husband, I judge or gossip about someone that I don’t like…how do I want God to forgive me? Do I want Him to walk away in a huff and hold it against me until I prove I am sorry enough? NO WAY! I want Him to forgive and move on. That is what I need to do, too.
O.k. time for breakfast. I wonder what bowl I will get today…
Love,Rachel
I have been thinking about that bowl today. There is a lesson it is trying to teach me: like how when I don’t deal with a problem, but instead push it aside, it will come up again and again. My attitude and my lack of patience are two good examples of me not dealing with things correctly. I did awful in that area today. I had a bad attitude and was quite impatient. I will tell you about it because it is proof that I am quite human. For the meal on Sunday, I decided to make Chicken Fettuccine because I found some fettuccini noodles at Hypermarket and thought I could splurge on them. Now when I say I “found” something, I don’t mean I was taking a walk outside and a box of noodles fell from the sky. Let me explain what I mean. We have three stores here that we can get stuff from: Hypermarket is the nice one with air-conditioning, and the big wide aisles. Aneka Mas is the store to go to if you want cheese, or streaky bacon. Victory is the store that has chicken and shampoo but not conditioner. So whenever we are out I am always looking to see if there is anything new. Every once in awhile there will be new things, like Doritoes, or Jif peanut butter, or canned cranberries. If you see it and think that you might want to use it in the next few years, buy it because they may never have that item here again. So when I found the fettuccini noodles I grabbed them. I always cook the Sunday meal for everyone and so I knew this would be a yummy change in menu. Well, it was delicious-once I cooked the noodles, made my own sauce, and cooked and deboned all of my chickens. I try to make enough for leftovers since Sunday dinner is “eat whatever is left in the fridge night.” One of the dorm girls came into the kitchen at about 5:30 to get something to eat, took the container of leftover fettuccini out of the fridge and then dropped the whole container all over the floor spilling the contents everywhere. I can tell you right now, that my initial reaction was not one of grace, nor was I putting a comforting arm around her shoulders and telling her it was alright. My head knew that it was an accident, but my impatience told me that I had a right to make her feel bad. She wasted a ton of food and money by not being careful. I wanted to ream her, but instead I walked away. I knew that she knew I was mad-I kind of wanted her to know that. But it wasn’t right. I know it wasn’t. It is like that burnt bowl popping up again to remind me to deal with the situation-don’t just put it aside. So after I calmed down, I went back to her and told her that I knew it was a mistake and I forgave her. I know she was grateful.
You know, I make mistakes all the time-far worse ones than dropping noodles-I yell at my kids, I talk with a sting to my husband, I judge or gossip about someone that I don’t like…how do I want God to forgive me? Do I want Him to walk away in a huff and hold it against me until I prove I am sorry enough? NO WAY! I want Him to forgive and move on. That is what I need to do, too.
O.k. time for breakfast. I wonder what bowl I will get today…
Love,Rachel
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