First –

Earlier tonight my friend Perry came over and, as I was pulling brownies out of the oven, I burned my arm on the inside of the oven.  I put something cold on it but couldn’t keep from mentioning every few minutes how badly it was hurting (I actually laid my arm on the inside of the oven door and yet I did not say even one naughty word, not even one!).

It’s made me think — and this is hard coming from the girl who is currently in a stage of life where she’d like nothing more than to swear she’ll never love again — that just because we may burn ourselves pulling something out of the oven once doesn’t mean we stop using the oven forever.

It’d be awfully sad if we let one burn negate something meant for good in our lives, now wouldn’t it?

– — –

And, secondly –

As I was throwing our dessert napkins away tonight, I mistakenly missed the trash and dropped one on the floor.  Before I could reach to get it, Cuddles had snatched it up and was hiding from me as he tried to find whatever chocolate remnants were left.  I didn’t hesitate to take it from him, didn’t ask him if he minded me removing it.  I didn’t even attempt to explain why I was taking something he obviously wanted.  I just took it because I knew it would hurt him and, as his master, I wasn’t going to let him have something temporarily that would hurt him forever.

And it made me think –

God didn’t hesitate to take that certain relationship with that one boy from me, didn’t ask me if I minded if He removed it.

(For the record, I most certainly did mind it very much at the time).

He didn’t explain why He was taking something I obviously wanted.

(And, since we’re still on the record here, I definitely did want it.)

He just took it because He knew it would hurt me and, as my Master, He wasn’t going to let me have something temporarily that would hurt me forever.

– — –

Maybe I should clean up the kitchen more often.