Lent- Day 25: Sorry Ms. Jackson.

I was visited again today by Friend 2 from last week. Repeatedly throughout her visit, the conversation veered into some of the more difficult areas of life- illness, breakups and death. I kept responding to her frustrated statements with, “But I can’t control that” and “I cannot make people do what they do not want to do”.  She would agree, only to turn right around and then go into complaints. Exasperated (and my voice going screechily high pitched), I finally declared, “Don’t you get it? We aren’t really in control of many things in life!”

I said control so many times I started to hear the Janet Jackson classic in my head.

Yesterday I rewatched “The Simpsons” episode called “Clown in the Dumps“. It was the first episode of this season and was about Krusty the Clown dealing with his father’s death (yeah, what timing for me, right?) and his feelings that his dad was never proud of him. The subplot has Lisa becoming increasingly paranoid that Homer, obese and ridiculously lazy, will face imminent death. By the end of the episode, she goes so far as to wrap her dad in layers of bubble wrap, which winds up actually saving his life when Otto haphazardly drives the school bus right into their backyard and hits him. Secure in the plastic cocoon, Homer bounces off a tree, unharmed. Lisa rushes over and hugs him. He says, “Your daughterly love saved me, Sweetie.” She replies, “That’s all I wanted, a tiny bit of control.”

That scene really touched my heart. Yes, you read that correctly. Yellow cartoon characters moved me. If you don’t know by now, I really have a thing for Matt Groening‘s brainchild. Anyway, I can relate to Lisa and my friend’s anxieties about the scary things in life. I’m going through some right now. I know I only have a tiny bit of control (and no bubble wrap), but God is faithful.

Reflection for the Day: “Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9