Yesterday, the fam jam and I went to the Memphis zoo with Ben’s side of the family. We had a great time on the coolest day of the summer, thus far. However, it was still really hot. Despite the heat, we had a great time.
I asked Ellie and Peyton which animals they were most excited to see. Peyton’s response was, “A donkey!” Followed by Ellie’s, “A sheep!” Now, I knew I could have saved a lot of gas and money by driving a mile down the road to see a farm with sheep and donkeys, but I thought the fellowship would be fun.
And it was! We came across this guy:
Peyt says this is a “Cheeto”. Betsy, my sister-in-law and I took the opportunity to use this “Cheeto” as a teaching tool. The kids were infatuated by the cheetah. We explained to the kids that the cheetah is the fastest animal that God made. Right as they asked, “How fast is it?”, the cheetah started kicking his hind legs. You can see him in the stance here in this picture. His legs starting kicking faster and faster as the front of his body crouched low to the ground; like he was going to run fast to its prey. Betsy and I started getting excited. The kids were getting riled up. “Look he’s getting ready to run! He’s crouching low. There he goes. There he goes! He’s gonna do it now! Look! Here he goes!”
And at that moment, he pooped.
We all stood there, frozen, mouths wide open and watched that cheetah do it’s business like he was balancing on a beach ball at the circus. We looked at each other and all died out laughing. We were disappointed, but we found joy in the situation. We will talk about this moment for years to come.
Disappointments happen all the time. The key is to remember that we don’t call the shots. We can’t always do things our way because our way may not always be God’s way. Therefore, our way is not always the right way.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11
I’ve never been on an airplane. I want to travel to so many places, though. My bucket list is literally nothing but places I want to travel too. But, I’ve always been too scared to get on an airplane because I let my control issues get in the way. I don’t know the captain, I don’t know how reliable the plane is, and I can make hundreds of more control freak related excuses. I let my fear of not being in control keep me from blessings.
I also have a horrible habit of taking the pen away from God when he’s trying to write my story. I let pride fool me into thinking my wants and desires can make my “happily ever after” better. I’m afraid of the disappointments and the tough parts. A friend of mine once said, “It’s 10% what happens, and 90% how you react to what happens.”
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.” -James 1:2-4
Next time a cheetah poops disappointment on your party, find the joy!
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