I have done many things I am not proud of over the years, but one of the most awkward in the moment came to mind again recently…
Hubby & I were on a date at Harvey’s. We moved to stand at the viewing/make it be made area after ordering, and I was chatting away to hubby, excited we were out together. Normally not the most demonstrative with PDA, I slipped my hand into his back pocket, as His main love language is touch, and I wanted him to know I loved him in that moment.
Imagine my shock when I hear hubby’s voice coming over my shoulder instead of beside me say, “Honey, what are you doing?!”
While I had been chatting, unknown to me, hubby had moved to grab the paper to read the sports section.
Take a second, and let that reality sink in, just as it did to me in that moment.
My hand was in someone else’s back pocket…. not my hubby’s.
Immediately removing my hand, i reluctantly looked glowing red with embarrassment towards the gentleman beside me and stammered “I am so sorry…”
He sounded bemused (as best I could tell not making eye contact) and replied, “That’s okay, I haven’t had that much action in a long while.”
Oh my, indeed.
Hubby occasionally teases me about this incident, now that I can look back and laugh at my mistake.
But that mistake has lingered and rankled, because I didn’t forgive myself for the error for a very long time.
An exceptionally faithful person, I can’t believe I did that, winner of the “i’d like to hand it to you” award for most embarrassing moment.
How could I be so wrapped up in that moment and miss that my hubby had moved off?
With two young children at the time, I was so excited to be out I was yammering away with delight, while hubby needed a moment of quiet to read the paper as we waited for our food.
I know now that we are both hardwired very differently.
I chose company, he chose solitude.
Sometimes it takes a communication breakdown before we realize how much we take one another for granted.
That is certainly true of our relationship with God.
So whose pocket is your hand in today? Your Bridegroom’s, or the deceiver’s?
Have you been talking for so long you don’t notice God is waiting for you to stop to get your attention?
Are you standing too close to the edge, just an arm’s length away?
Has the deceiver drawn close because you are too caught up in your own thoughts?
It doesn’t take much to distract us from what we want to do, does it?
I believe Paul can relate, when he wrote how he did the very things he didn’t want to do. I wonder what pockets Paul found his hand in unexpectedly…
May we be increasingly alert to His voice, His presence.
May we continually be on guard to the deception of the enemy, who is sometimes just a step away waiting for us to give him opportunity.
May our hands let go of what we did in error in the past, and remain open for God to fill & hold.
May we never settle for less than His best for us in every moment.
KARLA LEES 