The God of Heaven Will Give us Success

I started my day with a great verse. Little did I know how badly I would need it. "The God of Heaven will give us success." I was so struck by the verse that I copied it and put it in my saved emails. Then I suggested to my darling 16 year old that we could go to lunch together. I thought we could bond, share some laughs....

We settled down to our Panera Bread feast.
"Do I have to wear a dress tonight?" she moaned.
She was going to the church Christmas party. My hubby and I were going to a Christmas party of our own in the neighborhood.
"Did they tell you you have to wear a dress?" I asked.
"Yes," she said, close to tears.
"Then yes, you have to wear a dress. You have that sweater dress we got you a couple of years ago." (which she wore once, under protest at the church Christmas Eve service.)
"No!" She recoiled in horror.
We decided we had no choice but to buy her a new dress. Asherel is an unusual teen girl. She hates shopping. She doesn't like makeup, hair accoutrements, or dressing up. She despises high heels, and will never ever ever carry a purse. I knew I was in for a brutal afternoon, but I was determined. I would not allow it to devolve into a miserable marathon of negativity. I would be patient, and encouraging, and we would have a lovely time and find the perfect dress that both of us loved.

3 hours later:

The saleswoman looked worried. It may have been the lava running out of my nose and down my chin. She came rushing over, "Can I be of assistance?" she asked me.
"YES!!!!!" I shrieked.
"How can I help?"
"She needs a dress. Can you help her?"
"Of course," she said, smiling sweetly.
"Good. The adoption papers will be in the mail. I am going to your bar."

So I left Asherel in the capable hands of the saleswoman. When I returned from an extended stay in the restroom, (sadly, there was no bar in the store...),
I saw the saleswoman, a haggard look on her face. I noticed no dresses in either of their arms.
"Any luck?" I asked sweetly.
"What does she like?" groaned the saleswoman.
"You have discovered the problem!" I said.

Over the next hour, we left a wake of crumpled saleswomen. We did find a dress, though it must be worn with a jacket given a low cut back. Everything else about it was perfect and we were out of time.

Does anyone else start off with the best of intentions, certain this time, it will be different? This time, everything will be perfect, and all relationships will flow in harmony as God designed us. Smiles, gentleness, and shared memories will be built to reminisce upon in our golden years.

And then reality intercepts, tackles us to the ground, and we are left groping for air wondering where we went wrong. "The God of heaven will give us success." Where? When?

My daughter walked out of her room in her new dress. She didn't look completely thrilled, but she was stunning. And I thought how much I loved her, and in retrospect, how glad I was to have spent the day with her.

Nehemiah 2:20 NIV
[20] I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding....”



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