Sandra Heska King

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Whose fault?

April 26, 2010 By Sandra Heska King

Abby and I went to my niece’s baby shower yesterday.

We had to go around the circle and introduce ourselves.

When my mom’s turn came, she gave her name and said, “This is all MY fault.”

At my turn, I said, “I’m her daughter, her mother, her sister, and her aunt. And yeah (pointing to my mom), it’s all HER fault.”

Cuz kinda sorta it is.

I mean if she hadn’t met my dad, and they hadn’t–well, you know–this little population explosion would never have happened.

HER fault.

I remember when then little Jeremy tumbled down the stairs.

“It’s YOUR fault,” he screamed at my husband.

“Really?” Dennis asked. “How so?”

“YOU put these socks on me! YOU called me down here! YOU bought this house! It’s YOUR fault!”

Well, kinda sorta correcto.

If Dennis and I never met and if we hadn’t adopted him and if we hadn’t moved into this house with these stairs, he wouldn’t have fallen down them.

Yep. OUR fault.

It overwhelms me, really, when I linger too long in thought. How a choice we make in this moment can affect forever moments.

How if my parents’ parents’ parents hadn’t met and had made different choices and my husband’s parents’ parents’ parents hadn’t met and had made different choices, we wouldn’t be in this place at this time. How if I/we had made different choices, we would not even know our children or they might be totally different people. How two cousins now share a similar experience. How I might not be in love with a precious 7-year-old granddaughter. How my arms throb to hold the ones soon to come.

We are the fruit of yesterday’s choices, and the seeds of tomorrow’s fruit.

We follow broken roads of the past that lead us straight to the present.

We don’t always recognize the signs that point straight to Him. Even the lost and broken dreams. The twisted expectations. The pain.

That somehow it all fits into a grander plan. Part of a bigger tree.

And that we’re not really in control anyway.

God bless the broken road that led me here. And that will ultimately lead me home, into my Lover’s arms.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Yep. It’s HIS fault!

And it’s all good.

Very good.

“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NASB)

Have you seen signs of Him along your broken paths? 
Where have you seen a sign of Him this week?

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

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Comments

  1. jerseygal says

    April 26, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    Another "how do you do it" moment. We have been dealing this week with the issues regarding "choices" that were made regarding our special little grandson, and once again, this comes at the right time and calms me down thanks to your wisdom! I thank God for the gift that he has given you in your ability to write and his gift to me of you as my friend!

    jerseygal (Jeannine)

  2. SharonB says

    April 26, 2010 at 12:43 pm

    Just love this! Choices both good and bad, past and present lead us on a journey that is often a broken road but if we choose it will always lead us to HIM!!

  3. Sandra Heska King says

    April 26, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    @Jeannine: We've been friends now for a lot of years. Still amazes me how that happened! Praying for you and the little B-man.

    @Sharon: Thanks. And yup! It's all about the journey.

  4. S. Etole says

    April 26, 2010 at 5:11 pm

    yes, how much of the future depends on our present choices … quite an awesome responsibility … and yet, He directs our steps in ways unknown to us at times

  5. jasonS says

    April 26, 2010 at 5:45 pm

    Yep, wonderful thoughts on those paths in our lives. It is absolutely incredible to trace God's working through all the 'coincidences' in our lives. God is so amazing!

    Thanks Sandra.

  6. Jill Kemerer says

    April 26, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    I love this because life isn't random. It's amazing.

  7. Billy Coffey says

    April 26, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    Isn't it wonderful how we can sometimes feel as though we're ambling along and going in circles, when all the while we're headed straight for where God is leading us. This made me laugh and smile and think all at the same time.

  8. Glenda says

    April 27, 2010 at 10:02 pm

    Enjoyed my first visit to your blog! I agree: God is at work in our lives even when we can't see His hand. And he uses the dark strands of thread along with the bright, colorful ones to weave a beautiful tapestry of our lives – if we allow Him to!

  9. Sandra Heska King says

    April 28, 2010 at 9:45 am

    @Susan @Jason @Jill @Billy: And so I try to wrap my head around this thought: IF I'm walking with Him, His desires become my desires, I choose His choice–and yet it might still seem "bad." And He untangles the mess–or maybe it was never a mess from His perspective.

    @Glenda: So glad you stopped in! I love the tapestry analogy–weaving it all together into a thing of beauty.

  10. caryjo says

    April 29, 2010 at 4:10 pm

    So often we have no idea how our choices will affect what's coming down the lane and how the choices of others have affected ours. Been hashing that out with a sister today and it's been interesting. Good to read.

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