Every once in a while I get smacked in the face with a reminder that I should think about how to bless my husband.
I think about how to school my kids, how to train my kids, how to inspire my kids, how to feed my kids,what to read to my kids, whether I should help with this or that opportunity, or contact this or that person about such and such.
But blessing my husband gets left behind.
Right when I was thinking about this he said something about really wishing we could get the Core Values Banners of our church hanging back up in the sanctuary since he was going to begin a series through those values again.
The problem was that last time they were up they kept collapsing in on themselves.
I thought, "That's what I'll do to bless my husband!"
I started by finding the banners. They were up in the attic. Then I unrolled the banners only to find out they were sticky and there were fold creases every six inches where the previous people rolled them around a light weight board.
I took them home. I got really busy and they sat behind my couch for awhile. Someone stopped in and told me about cleaning products for the stickiness.
Our housemate at the time and I brainstormed how to get the creases out. We rolled them the other way and I put them back behind the couch. Then I got busy again.
Week 2 (or was it 3?) of the Spiritual Value Series was coming up. My friend from Washington was coming to stay and I still had this guilt about still not blessing my husband.
The Saturday afternoon she was here we took a couple of hours to work on the banners. We started by engineering them so they would NOT collapse in on themselves again.
The idea of rolling-them-the-other-way-to-get-the-creases-out had not worked. We tried idea number 2. Towels and irons. Here my dear friend traveled all this long way to see me and I had her ironing plastic banners on the church floor. In futility.
We put them away until later. Hanging them would be yet another challenge as they would be about 20 feet in the air.
I began to wonder if the banners would ever hang again.
Later that week, deep into a Thursday night, (for we had to wait for worship practice to end) a young, wonderful couple met me at the church and we began to hang the still sticky, creased banners.
I borrowed a large ladder from our neighbor who is building a house next door to the church. I blew the dust off the other large ladder from the church shed. I carried them in with my strong arms.
Since I've been working out somewhat consistently, the amount of push-ups I can do has escalated tremendously. Why would I be doing all these push-ups if not to carry large, heavy ladders around the neighborhood and into the church? So when kind, thoughtful men look at me and ask, "do you want some help?" I honestly want to reply, "do you know how many push-ups I can do?"
Once again I've lost the idea of blessing my husband and now am only thinking about how cool it is that I can carry ladders around.
The young couple would not allow me to climb the ladders and work on the banners. I am elderly at thirty-eight compared to their twenty-six years. Which is fine, for even with all my push-ups and planks and squats, I'm still pretty clumsy.
After lots of duct tape and fishing wire and trial and error and re-dos and up and down ladders and "now that side is too high," we finally called it done. Josh carried the ladder in the dark back to the neighbors.
My husband came over and we sat in the sanctuary, the four of us, looking at the Spiritual Values banners and sharing and praying.
The goal was reached: By week 4 of the 5 week series, the banners were hanging!
They are not perfect. The process was nearing ridiculous. I look at them on Sunday and I see all the work it was to get them up. I see the faces of the many people who helped. I see the danger of precarious ladders and hot irons. I see willingness and a common goal. And a desire to bless.
I see the good values I can cling to this year; every year:
Gathered Worship
Communal Formation
Spiritually Nourished Children
Word Driven Devotion
Missional Presence
Looking into 2016, remembering the episode of "hanging the banners", I can count on this as I create new goals:
Every worthy goal will take determination, and in the reaching it, will come with struggle and story.
Even upping my push-up count.
3 comments:
I loved reading your well-written story about the banners! I have wondered WHO could have and would have figured out HOW to get them hung again, and in a way that seems to be working out just fine! I asked a few people if they knew who took on that awesome job, but they didn't know. Then I kind of forgot about it....until I come into the church and see them hanging there. Then I wonder again and thank the Lord that SOMEONE took it upon themselves to tackle that project. Thank you, Dayna, for blessing your husband, but also me, and everyone else who missed those banners! You rock!
What a wonderful inspirational story. I was blessed to see them hanging but did not know who had done the awesome task. The banners have blessed me and reminded me who we are as a church. Your story has blessed me and I am once again grateful you and your family have followed God's leading and chosen to obey to come to Williston. Thank you Dayna!!
Roberta Herr said:
The above comment was sent by Bert Herr
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