Ductape Fixes Everything – Ellana Hay
Ductape Fixes Everything
Ever felt like ductape would be a reasonable response to managing your children? How about a co-worker? Or really any person, place or thing that is not only going against the plan… but by-golly they are throwing the plan around like confetti.
When you have an ‘ideal’ for your life, your parenting, your education, your business, etc etc. you will discover very quickly that things do not go to plan hardly ever.
Fortunately, God packs the ductape in His word.
I am frequently pulling God’s promises and words of Wisdom out of the recesses of my brain and into the front of my life. Using them like the famous ‘fix all’ ductape.
Let me give you a little example:
My husband leaves for work before me most mornings. Therefore, I prepare the kids and pack them into the car for the drop-off to their appropriate locations before heading to work. I have four kids. Feeding, clothing and packing bags in our home looks like a circus show…. Hand stands, sudden bursts of super human strength, unusual flexibility for escaping, and swinging from trapeze I never knew we had.
One morning things were going terribly wrong. By the time we made it to the car, I was about five minutes past normal car loading time. (That includes the spare 15minutes I allow for ‘what ifs’ in my scheduled get-out-the-door routine.) My eldest was having a meltdown and the other three chose to pitch in for a howling choir of various cries. All levelled at me for being ‘the worst’ because I had insisted on those socks.
I remember dialling my husband to ask him to calm our daughter (his gifting). He picked up the phone and I began:
“Babe, Ailey is upset about shoes, socks and unicorns… can you talk to her… AGGHHHHHH!!!!”
I ended the communication abruptly by throwing the phone deeper into the car, screaming loud enough to wake the neighbors and smacking my leg… really hard. Why? There was a spider on me. I hate spiders. I bolted out of the car and made it up the stairs to my front door.
That is where I collapsed onto the steps, placing my head in my hands and just became still.
In that short time that I sat on the front step, I used some of God’s ‘Ductape’. The stuff that holds me back together when I feel apart.
What is it? Words that God has spoken to me through prayer and through His word.
I am reminded that God tells us to use those words like ductape. Stuck securely to us, mending the broken bits and holding together the falling apart bits.
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” – Proverbs 3:1-4
With some positive God given words in my head, I rose to my feet and cleaned my tears. Getting back in the car. My daughter… who had calmed in worry for her crazy mom: handed me back the phone.
My husband was waiting. I said “Hello”…
He asked “It was a spider, right?” 😉
Ellana Hay
LIFE South Kids Preschool Pastor