Mar
22
2018
Wiggle Room
Posted in Bible 2 Comments
Every time I walk across the bridge, I think about it.
I am not talking about a bridge outside that goes over a body of water.
I am talking about the bridge that goes over our foyer and family room.
It is the bridge that links one side of our upstairs to the other.
It is very cozy on the bridge.
There is a comfy wicker settee and two wicker chairs that beckons you to sit for a while.
There are three large bookshelves filled with books on the bridge.
Bookshelves filled with books is nothing new at our house.
One side of the bridge is the master bedroom area.
The other side of the bridge are the rest of the bedrooms.
I can still see my children running back and forth when they were little.
I can still see their faces peering over the railing as they talked to someone downstairs.
When we moved into this house, we had one rule concerning the bridge.
Nothing was to ever be thrown over the bridge to the floor below.
I could imagine toys coming over the railing and hitting someone on the head.
I could imagine the type of play that would happen if that had not been a rule.
They all obeyed that rule, though they did try to stretch the limits from time to time.
I remember that a little plastic man with a parachute was given in a birthday goody bag.
That little plastic man with a parachute was just begging to fly.
I knew for certain the giver of the goody bag did not have a tempting bridge in their house.
That little plastic man with the parachute flew over the bridge railing.
It was not thrown down.
It was gently released.
It was caught by a sibling below still attached to the one on the bridge.
My youngest son loved Woody from Toy Story.
He played with his Woody and Buzz Lightyear all the time.
Since Woody is a cowboy, it made sense to my son that Woody would know how to lasso.
My son would lasso Woody and gently let him down over the railing as we sat in the kitchen.
When reminded of the, no throwing things over the bridge rule, they answered respectfully.
But I didn’t throw it, Mom! They said, I was holding on to it the whole time.
I was gotten on a technicality.
They conveniently used my exact words in their rebuttal.
It was true.
They did not technically throw the plastic man with the parachute off the bridge.
They let it down gently, and it was being held the whole time, and it was caught by a sibling.
I smile at the memory.
I can still see Woody swaying back and forth on his lasso.
We would sit there and pretend not to see him.
It was so hard not to belly laugh out loud.
Every parent knows how hard it is to stifle a laugh.
Exact words are hard to live by.
We always think there is wiggle room.
We surmise that if we stretch it a little here and a little there, we will be fine.
We can argue the amount that the limits were stretched.
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1)
There is no wiggle room in God’s Word.
Though we may try to do spiritual back flips, God Word says what it says.
We cannot stretch it to make it suit our needs or our lifestyle.
We do not change God’s Word, rather God’s Word changes us.
It is the oldest lie that began in the Garden.
It is the lie that the serpent spoke to Eve.
Did God really say? He hissed. (Genesis 3:1)
And so it began.
Doubt set in.
Doubt about what God actually said.
Doubt about what God actually meant.
Doubt about the relevance of God’s Word to our lives.
The questions began.
Is God really trustworthy?
Does God really want what is best for me?
Why is God withholding something that is obviously good for me?
In our finite minds, we twist and turn God’s Word to suit us.
We try to stretch it as if it is putty in our hands.
But, Mom, I was holding on to it the whole time.
We laugh but we know it is true.
We train our children because that is what God calls us to do as parents.
We are humbled as parents because we quickly learn how much training we need as well.
How many times do we try to wiggle out of something that God says in His Word?
How many times do we stretch and pull until God’s Word suits us and our situation?
There is no wiggle room.
God’s Word is its own interpreter.
We do not dictate what God’s Word says.
God speaks to us through His Word; we are to listen and obey.
I walk across my bridge multiple times each day.
It is more than just a connection between one side of the upstairs and the other.
It is a reminder of obedience.
It convicts me of the many times I have tried to stretch God’s Word to suit me.
Obeying God is not something we can do on our own.
We need the Holy Spirit’s help.
We are given the faith to believe and the ability to obey.
There are no spiritual back flips allowed.
Gina,
We also had a similar bridge in our 1st home by Marsh Creek. I can remember my son tossing something down targeting his younger sister. When confronted with his action his response was ‘It was on accident!’
His ‘wiggle room ‘ response.
On another note, please email me your contact info again. I believe I accidently deleted your response, so sorry.
I look forward to your daily Whispers, dear friend
Linda, I think most of us have wiggle room stories either about our children or about ourselves. I am so grateful for God’s grace to cover all of our attempts to hide from Him.
Gina