Getting It All Wrong

I was eavesdropping.
I admit it.
I don’t usually do that but this particular day I did.
It happened when I was out for breakfast with my friends.

We were catching up on each others lives.
They knew that we just had two weddings in our family, two weeks apart.
They knew that my daughter is a teacher.
They had forgotten that her husband is a teacher as well.

We talked about how the children from her class came to the wedding.
They sat so sweetly in the balcony of the church.
They had the best seat in the house.
They had a clear view of their beloved teacher as she changed her name right before them.

It was then that I heard conversation at the table next to us.
There was a mother with two children on one side of the table.
There was another mother with one child on the other side.
The oldest little girl was talking about her teacher’s wedding.

Yes, she just got married this summer, didn’t she? Her mother remarked.
Didn’t she look beautiful? The little girl remembered.
Wasn’t it wonderful that you were there to see her get married? Her mother remarked.
I wanted to look over at their table but thought better of it.

I had been in my daughter’s classroom.
If I could just look over, even for a minute, I might recognize the little girl.
By this time, I was distracted.
I was hearing snippets of their conversation while trying to pay attention to ours.

Finally, when I left the table for a minute, I walked over to the other table.
I overheard you talking about your teacher getting married, I said to the girl’s mother.
I am Miss Gallagher’s mom and I just wanted to say, Hello; I noticed they look confused.
I’m sorry, I overheard you talk about your teacher getting married, I said embarrassed.

Yes, Miss P got married this summer and we went to her wedding, the mother explained.
Imagine that; two teachers got married and two classes of children got to witness it, I said.
Enjoy you breakfast, I said as I quickly walked away.
I never do that; I never interrupt a total stranger like that, but I was so sure.

Thankfully, I never had to explain any of this to my friends.
They just thought I knew the people at the next table and thought nothing of it.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to tell my daughter any time soon.
She would probably think, That sounds like Mom.

I was eavesdropping and I got it wrong.
I got it all wrong.
I heard bits of a conversation.
I made assumptions that turned out to be incorrect.

We have all been there.
We see someone across the room.
We are sure that we know the person but we forget their name.
We walk up to them, tap them on the shoulder, only to find they are not the person we thought.

A child will be in a store next to his mother.
He turns away to look at something that catches his eye.
He comes back and without looking grabs onto the set of knees that are next to him.
He looks up to see that those knees do not belong to his mother.

You call someone on the phone.
You wrote down the correct number.
You realize, when the person answers on the other end, that you have dialed incorrectly.
You called a wrong number and have to apologize before you hang up.

Eavesdropping without getting all the facts.
Waving to and approaching the wrong person.
Grabbing onto the wrong set of knees.
Calling the wrong phone number.

We do it all the time.
We often get it wrong.
We often do embarrassing things for all the right reasons.
We want to dig a hole and hide but all we can do is laugh.

We take ourselves far too seriously.
Sometimes our mistakes can open the door to new conversations and new acquaintances.
If we would only let it.
If we would only admit that we often get it terribly wrong.

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will never forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands, you walls are ever before me. (Isaiah 49:15,16)

God never gets it wrong.
God hears our prayers perfectly as if we are the only ones talking to Him.
God sees us at all times and never mistakes us for someone else.
God calls us and His call goes forth perfectly.

That is the God we serve.
Omniscient.
Omnipotent.
Omnipresent.

As I walked away from the table, the little girl talked to her mother.
Do you know that lady, Mommy?
No, honey, but she has a daughter who is a teacher, too, the mother explained.
Her daughter got married this summer just like Miss P, she continued.

Did her class go to her wedding, too? The little girl asked.
Yes, they did; just like your class, the mother said sweetly.
That’s funny!
I guess grownups get mixed up sometimes, too, she said giggling.

Yes, they do, I answered her in my head.
God never does.
God never forgets, or mixes things up, or assumes the wrong thing.
God is perfect and we are not.

I am glad that I serve a God who is perfectly holy.
I can never measure up to His holiness.
I make mistakes all the time.
I sin and need forgiveness.

We have an Advocate.
We have a Savior who experienced everything this fallen world has to offer, yet never sinned.
Jesus’ death and resurrection in our place was not a mistake; it was not Plan B.
God the Father planned it all along, perfectly, for His glory and our salvation.

God loves us that much.
God never makes mistakes.
God never forgets.
God never gets it wrong.

My embarrassment over my eavesdropping was actually a good thing.
Anything that points me to God is a good thing.
Anything that reminds me of my need for Him is a blessing.
Oh, how I need Him!

2 responses to “Getting It All Wrong”

1. Been there, done that! Just as I believe that we have a perfect God who never makes mistakes, I believe that our mistaken interactions with one another are designed and purposeful . . . perhaps a bit embarrassing:) Thank you for another reminder of what a blessing it is to be reconnected! We all started out together; it’s grace that brought us full circle.

   Reply

   • Cathy,
     I agree. Those times are often God ordained appointments. Only in light of eternity will we ever know their significance. Yes, grace has brought us full circle and I am so glad.
     Regina

     Reply