SPLAT!!!

Psalm 30:5b: “…weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

I had come home from church on this beautiful, sunny Sunday morning. There was a break in the bitter coldness that had engulfed our area, and the mildness was rich in the air. The sermon had been meaningful, and I was feeling good. It was one of those “all’s right with the world” moments, when you’re smiling and happy and calm. I half expected some little cartoon animals to gather around the car and begin singing… okay, maybe that’s a little over the top, but it was a great Sunday morning.

I stopped for gas, and across the street the car wash was gearing up for what looked to be a promising day of sales. What better way to wash away the grime of a cold week than to treat my car to a car wash and drive home in style, the black hood glittering in the sunlight, all fresh and clean? I drove over, got in line, turned up the radio, and enjoyed the moment. Now this is the type of car wash where you get out of your car and stroll along as your car goes through each wash station. I have to admit, I still get a kick out of watching the foam spraying all over the place, the rhythm of the water streaming, and the huge whirling brushes and air dryers do their thing. The only thing better is actually being able to sit in the car! I always imagined that, just perhaps, when you went through the car wash in your car, you might come out in another land, just like the scene where Dorothy opens the door onto a colorful Land of Oz!

I paid at the counter, and went out to my beautiful baby car, all gleaming and enticing as the day I took her off the lot. Yes, it was a good day! I got in, took a moment to enjoy the fresh scent of scrubbed rugs and vanilla freshener, turned the radio back up, and began to drive away. And in literally two seconds, no sooner than it took to turn onto the road home, SPLAT!!!! A bird christened my windshield, and by the looks of it, I think it must have been a turkey vulture or perhaps an unusually large goose! (Pigs aren’t flying yet, are they?) No…. no… are you kidding me? Are you kidding me???? It was one of those surreal moments when suddenly everything goes into slow motion, and you are faced with “the choice.” Okay, I can really let this get to me. I can get ticked off and grump and mumble about my bad luck and just really let it get to me. Or, I can try to find the humor in it. I starting laughing… not just giggling, but laughing until my sides hurt and the tears welled up in my eyes. I just downright howled with the ironic silliness of it all! Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor? I managed to get home, and grabbed a HUGE roll of paper towels and an economy bottle of window cleaner, and managed to get rid of the mess, through fits of giggles.

I couldn’t help but think how much life is like this little analogy God gave to me this sunny Sunday morning. We go along, feeling good, living strong, and suddenly SPLAT!!!! Something comes along to fowl up our plans, to dump all over us to the point where we can’t see clearly any longer. And we’re faced with a choice – do I focus on the SPLAT on my windshield, or do I try to find the lesson, and the humor, and just ride it out? Sometimes it’s a great big SPLAT, some life-altering news; sometimes it’s a smaller SPLAT that still rocks us to the bone. Either way, we have a choice in our reaction, and in our focus. We can look to God to give us strength and courage and to help us deal with what has been dumped on us. And hopefully, at some point, we can smile again.

I encourage you to grab some paper towels, and laugh.