JESUS IN THE FRUITY PEBBLES
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:5
Not too long ago our two granddaughters were staying with us while they relocated from Kentucky to Georgia. Our house changed in many ways. There was an increase in noise, chatter, toilet paper consumption, laughter, eating, water drinking, paper towels, bologna, hot dogs, healthy & non healthy snacks, and the ever popular staple, CEREAL, Fruity Pebbles being their favorite. Have you seen Fruity Pebbles? They are small disc shaped multi colored pieces of puffed rice. One box holds many, many thousands of pieces. Anyway, back to the overstuffed pantry shelves. In an attempt to give me more room in the pantry my daughter had purchased a small shelving unit and placed it next to my standard wooden book shelf, which was purchase at a yard sale in the 1970’s for $7.00 dollars. This book shelf has served us well for many years in all the different places we have lived. The shelf itself is about 5 foot tall and on the top shelf is where all our cereal boxes live.
On one particular morning I was not in the best frame of mind – tired I guess from lack of sleep. Since we have been empty nesters, I stay up later and sleep later. Well my grandchildren and their family were relocating as I said from Kentucky, Eastern Standard time to Georgia also EST by way of our home in Alabama Central Standard Time. So my beautiful and cheery wake ups from my grand girls seemed to come earlier and earlier. And when these girls get up they want to eat breakfast on their way to the kitchen. As I get older my wake ups seem to become much slower than when my children were young. But out of bed I sprung (or sprang) as the girls came to get me up. I am sure I was muttering to myself on my way to the kitchen, “I need my coffee”. The girls were filled with early morning chatter and wants for their breakfast cereal. I don’t remember all that transpired that morning but I remember me putting the Fruity Peebles back on the top shelf on top of another box of cereal, with some attitude. I placed the box on top and wheeled an about face to leave the pantry when I heard a noise. Evidently I had placed the box part way on top of the other box and anyway I could see it teetering as I turned to see what the noise was about. It all happened in slow motion – the box teetering from side to side – once –twice – and over it went. Thinking to myself “did I put a clothes pin on that bag inside that box?” Well you already know the answer to that – a resounding NO. As the box tipped and headed for the new shelf my daughter had bought I did a visual scan of what was between the top and the floor. I observed many objects. Do you know what a rain stick is? You know you turn it upside down and the millions of things inside flow to the opposite end and it sounds like rain? Anyway that is what a box of spilling Fruity Peebles sounds like as it tips and drenches your panty with those tiny pieces of puffed rice. It seemed like a never ending parade as each of those pieces slipped from their bag to the floor of my pantry.
Damage done! As I surveyed the pantry I thought it really isn’t so bad. As I attempted to retrieve the cereal box I found another scenario however. The slightest movement sent shifting rice pebbles, strange you could hear them but could not see them. At this point I am really mad at myself for displaying a bad attitude. You see if I had been careful with the box to begin with and not attitudinal none of this would have happened. So standing in the middle of my pantry surrounded by armies of pebbles I heard a still small voice deep within. I knew it was the Holy Spirit. All the scriptures in my mind about attitude began to surface. I was still not listening as you know I had a great mess to clean up.
Continuing on my way to clean up this “hiding” mess, I grabbed the broom and the trash can. The vacuum for some reason never entered my mind. I started at the top, moving ever so carefully each box & item between the top shelve and the floor. As I collected and dumped piles of pebbles over and over again I finally began to calm down and be thankful that it was a dry substance I was cleaning up and not something sticky or runny. As I emptied the shelf that my daughter had loving bought me to help straighten out the pantry, I at last came to the bottom shelf. I was finally able to move it so cleaning of the floor beneath could begin.
My attitude more in check now and the girls happily playing elsewhere as I could hear their sweet laughter, I moved the shelf. What I saw made me cry. There in the piles of pebbles was Jesus. Yes Jesus was in the Fruity Pebbles. It was one of those small rocks with words on them and the word on this rock was Jesus. A flood of emotions came over me as I thought about the fact that Jesus is with me even when I spill the Fruity Pebbles and when I clean up the Fruity Peebles – Jesus – is with me always in every situation.
I had to stop right then and there and thank Jesus - for being my everything – everywhere - even in the Fruity Pebbles.
