Butter my butt and call me a biscuit...MY HOUSE IS BLUE! On Grace.

Butter my butt and call me a biscuit...
MY HOUSE IS BLUE!

All I could think of was this old southern saying....and it's not even correct. So I strangely came up with my own. It might be the high doses of Dexamethasone. I'm getting reports that are doing weird things to me. Another story.

I Had What I Thought was a Fantabulous Idea. 

Jason (my husband) made comment as we drove up to our rather dark and barren looking old farm house the other night about how he missed our Christmas lights.

So while we were away for a few days I had a young man wire lights around our house in order to surprise my Jason.

Perception is Everything

Well, you know how you have one thing in your head and someone else might have the exact idea in their head but they both LOOK VERY different. You don't?! Yeah well, I've been told this for a long time. When I was young and in an art class, the teacher took us outside to draw the trees. The assignment, "draw what you see." When we arrived back in the classroom and shared our creations, mine was polar opposite of all the others and didn't even look remotely the same. This I realize was one of the first of MANY clues that I don't see things the way other people do. That extends into therapy with my husband. A whole other blog post for another time. It renders good in the artistic area, however, not always so good in the communication areas.

I Gasped and Tried to Hold it Together

As we drove up to the house in the early evening rainy dusk, me in excited anticipation, I GASPED and almost fell off my seat as I saw the eery blue aura that hovered over my precious house!! Christmasy and enchanting?...NO! More like evil haunted house and RUN fast! I did my very best to keep from hyperventilating, raging and throwing up.

But then to My Sheer Unexpected Surprise and Delight...because at the very moment this was all about me,
Jason Showed Excitement and was Pleased.

HOLD UP. WHAT. I was caught off guard. Wasn't that my goal?!

Another Need for Self Evaluation.

I left a seriously uptight detailed note on how to accomplish this task for this young man. I am anal in the decorating area. I want things my way. I did realize however, I did NOT write DO NOT USE LED lights. In fact, HE DID EXACTLY EVERYTHING I LISTED. Anyone who knows me, all the decorating I've done at church, being in charge of The Christmas Store for years on end, banquets, etc. KEEP LED LIGHTS AWAY FROM ME. Ooops, this young man didn't know me. I knew at this point I was being tested. Otherwise, the job was above and beyond well done. In fact, better than I asked. 

The Christmas Store New Horizons Fellowship

Annual Christmas Outreach Note the warm lights!

 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; 
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” Isaiah 48:10 NLKV

My Initial Thoughts

Get my money back now! Have him do it over again after slapping him with a wet noodle. Lecture his dad on how to raise his son properly. Put the young man in one of MY art classes. Climb onto the roof myself and do it right. ...... 

Then there was...Demonstrate GRACE.  
Why did that have to come to mind. UUGGGHHH. This was about decorating, not grace. Why should I have to suffer?

I went with Grace  

And admittedly with a touch of, "enhance what is already there to make it a little more appealing." I thought that was fair.

I Took a Deep Breath 

I texted his dad to give his son the message of a job was well done! Funny thing and totally unexpected, his dad texted back with a somewhat urgent text saying, "We are sending your husband an apology for the blue lights."  WHAT??!! I NEVER voiced any of this to him! Turns out one of my kids ran outside to let them know I hate LED lights when she saw it transpiring (my kids know! Thank you for looking out for me my child!)

But I texted back immediately and confirmed that I was nothing but pleased. Nothing negative I decided. OK, with a lump in my throat. Clearly I am not perfect. But I knew the Holy Spirit was leading me to lift this kid up in confirmation of hard work. Not sure why exactly, but it felt right. The responding text showed delight. I then felt contentment and joy. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25

4:00 Am

As I pear behind my curtain at 4:00am I gasp at the blue aura that surrounds my precious house. My body does a little shutter and it's not the tremors. But immediately following that is a feeling of contentment and even joy as I feel good about doing the right thing instead of the stuck up demanding thing. I still chuckle as I wonder what my neighbors are thinking as they drive by. Immediately reminding myself that I it doesn't matter what they think. I'm not sure the the neighborhood sign that awards the  "Best Decorated House," will ever land in my yard. But in front of my heart hangs a sign that says, You did this one right. Keep on truckin.

I'll be honest

I got my son to add warm lights to the mix. I think it's a perfect compromise. 

Thank You Jason

Whether he meant it or not, he had the perfect reaction to my surprise. 

Wasn't that my goal after all!

Jason and me on date night