Outmatched by a hook

It's funny how the smallest things can remind you of how weak you are and how much you need God.

(It's also funny how when I say "you" I mean "me" and you know that there's a story coming that inspired that statement.)

I have a lantern that's been sitting here in my room since I moved in, waiting to be hung up, and I decided today that I was going to finally hang it up. So I put it together, found a light bulb, found a hook and I was going to screw that hook into the ceiling and hang that lantern on it.

When I set my mind to something, I usually do it. The road to get there may not look exactly like I predicted, nor may the results be precisely what I was aiming for, but it gets done. I am way too stubborn and way too enduring for it not to.

So perhaps you can imagine my incredulity when I couldn't screw the hook into the ceiling. My ceiling is harder than I thought it was. And it just wouldn't go in. No matter how hard I tried. Something as simple as sticking a hook in the ceiling was a challenge that I couldn't overcome.

I was pretty disturbed by that, considering how insignificant it was. I started feeling kinda stupid because of how much it affected me. And I started to realize then how accustomed I am to things working when I decide they are going to work. Don't get me wrong, all kinds of things around me don't work. But I don't expect them to work. That expectation makes a difference. Usually, when that expectation is there, then I get the desired results. Rarely is that not the case. And that feeling of defeat did not sit well with me.

Hmm...sounds like I'm relying too much on my own strength, skill, knowledge, and abilities. Reality check, Emily. You're only human and you can't do everything just because you decide you're going to do it. And remember, the smallest things can trip you up.

Life lessons. They come in all shapes and sizes.