Back in the late 60s my little brother, who was very good at board games, received the game, Pull the Rug Out. We had fun using the provided spinner to learn what weird items we were commanded to pile on top of others and then attempt to pull out the rug without any items toppling over! While most of us playing would fail, he was often very successful!
Later, in the early 90s a few times a year, my wife and I would head to BJs Wholesale Club for groceries. As things were cheaper back then, money would go a lot further than it does today. We usually took one child to help keep an eye on the cart while we zipped-by filling it with much-needed goodies. I’m great at organizing and packing things. I’ll look at a space, then at the items, and I’ll know how to pack and make everything fit. My wife, on the other hand, will look into the fridge & say, “There’s no more room.” I’ll have her pass me bags of items and it’ll all go in usually with room to spare.
This one time, we took our oldest daughter shopping with us. I packed our Dodge station wagon like a can of sardines with close to $600 worth of food. Our daughter was by the back, fold- down door. When that door was shut, she became part of the sardines! Her face was stuck to the glass with nowhere to move! She didn’t mind and actually, enjoyed being part of something bigger! As we drove down the highway, some drivers pointed at her and laughed at her appearance! I wanted to shout out the window, “We got her on sale!”
Like a can of sardines, or better yet, the hilarious Crowded Cabin ship scene in the Marx Brothers movie, A Night at the Opera, when everyone flies out the room when the door gets opened at the end, that’s how our daughter rolled out when that hatch was opened at home!
We all know life can be like that: We can be loved by everyone. We can get hugs and high-fives any day, anytime. We can be thrilled running into our friends and acquaintances, for they ‘make our day.’ Sometimes though, without explanation, life will pull the rug out from underneath our feet knocking us over. We’ll scratch our heads wondering what happened, and how. Friends may no longer greet us, and the hugs and high-fives might be gone. That’s when it’s time to rise to our feet, dust ourselves, recompose, find new perspective, and start anew. Be comforted and strengthened in the words of Jesus: “I’ll never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b). Besides, He knows how to pull the rug out and leave us standing.
God Bless,
Sam
Finding Laughter In Difficult Times
My life experiences in the good times and in very difficult times will hopefully inspire, encourage, and motivate others to take time to laugh, reflect, and seek God when difficulties in life arise.