The Wisdom of Benches and Balls

By Hally Franz –

There are lots of lessons that become regular sound-bites in the rearing of children. We encourage them to “treat others as you’d like to be treated”, “always do your best”, and “learn from your mistakes.” I believe few things in life are due to chance. So, with those thoughts in mind, I tried to make sense of my recent bare, right-foot collision with the unyielding incline bench in our basement.

It occurred as I packed away holiday decorations, and the encounter left me with three very sore middle toes and bruising from those toes to my instep. I watched the bruising evolve through black, blue, purple and yellow tones, reminding my family that I never bruise easily. The wound, while apparently without fractures, was worthy.

Here’s my list of possible insights to be gained by my foot-versus-bench battle:

• I am clumsy. Redundant. I’ve been made painfully aware of that truth on many prior occasions.
• I should slow down. Not likely; that was a lazy January day, and I was completing this task with ease.
• I should look where I am going. Possibly valid, if taken in a broader, less literal sense.
• I need to get rid of some clutter. I agree and am working on it!
• I need to exercise. I’d love to, if I didn’t have an injured foot!
• I should wear shoes around the house. Perhaps, my old-souled son is wise traipsing around the house interminably in steel-toed boots. My grandfather always thought it horrible to walk around shoeless in the winter.
• I need a bigger house. Useless information. My husband swears he’ll die in this house.

In the final days before Christmas 2012, my old-souled son added a couple of items to his Christmas list. He wanted a Magic 8-Ball and a metal slinky. When questioned about the ball, he told me he might use it for making decisions. I “encouraged” him that God would greatly prefer He be consulted on any important choices he faces. Ivan assured me he’d apply this method only to small, insignificant quandaries.

In reality, I can’t glean much meaning from my injury. Nor, will my son ever get worthwhile advice from his vintage toy. We can, however, seek and expect real answers regarding routine and life-changing questions. Our Heavenly Father is there to listen and counsel us when we pray and study His word, without mysteries to solve or magic to work.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, remind me always to bring my concerns and questions to You. Help me to remember that the world holds no inspired answers, and I am too simple to make decisions without the wisdom that You alone provide.

“I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness” (Ecclesiastes 7:25 KJV).