"A Slip, not a Fall"

I was in Goodwill this past Monday.  I was dropping off some donations and thought that while I was there I would take a look inside. 

As soon as I walked in I saw a man with a cart full of treasures!  I mean TREASURES!  He had a vintage wooden sled, a vintage Hawkeye picnic basket, a stunning reverse painted lamp and a box of vintage glass Christmas ornaments.  I walked up to him and said "Awesome finds!"  He said "Thanks!" and I walked away, hoping to find my own awesome treasures. 

It would be a lie if I told you that as I walked away I didn't feel jealous. I mean, that cart had everything that I love!  And then before I knew it, my thinking took me to places that I have worked so hard to overcome1. My thoughts were of envy and greed: "If only I had come here first instead of stopping to get gas" and "How come he is so lucky?".  And then I stopped. I literally stopped in the aisle and said "Lord, I laid this at your feet so long ago and yet here I am, picking it back up again". I prayed silently as I again laid it back down at His feet, and I continued shopping. 

I didn't find any treasures that day, but on the way out I looked for the man with the fabulous cart. When I found him, I pointed to the price stickers on his treasures ($5.99, $5.99, $8.99 and $1.99) and said "Duuude! Look at this!  You did GREAT!"  He rewarded me with the biggest smile2 and he gave me a 'high five'.  He gave me a high five. He gave a high five to the "Queen Giver of High Fives"!  I know how awesome I feel when I give high five's, but I have to tell you, it is just as awesome to be on the receiving end of one too! 

What did I learn?  I learned that sometimes you revisit a bad memory, a bad habit or a negative trait that you thought you were rid of. You can revisit it, but that doesn't mean that you have to give it a home in your life or your heart.  You can recognize it, but then you have to put it back. Put it back on the shelf, put it back behind closed doors, or put it back at the Lord's feet.  No matter what you do, the important thing is, you have to take it and put it back. And realize that you are just that much stronger. One slip does not have to turn into a fall. 🙏

1.    See my blog "Interview with Janet Alden" - Feb. 16 2021 for more on this.
2.    He wasn't wearing a mask. 

2a.  And it was a full smile with the eyes!