Have you ever been so tired that you missed a few very important details? A few weeks ago, after "Meet The Teacher", I had to stay at school until 8:30 p.m. Realizing that it would take at least another 45 minutes for the raw chicken in our refrigerator to miraculously turn into dinner, I decided to wave the white flag and let Lu Lu's Carry Out make dinner that night.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I was a little surprised at how busy they were despite how late it was. Delighted that our order was already waiting for me, I exchanged pleasantries with the owner while paying for our meals and then headed out the door on my way home.
When I got back inside the car, I immediately saw the car's spare key fob sitting inside the drink holder, which is evidence of a very bad habit my husband continues to have when he moves or drives my car. I was so tired from the extremely long day that I instantly became so upset with him thinking "How many times to do I have to ask you not to leave the extra key fob in the car because the car doesn't lock when the fob is inside of it and anyone could take the car or get inside our house?" As my anger quickly went from zero to 100 in record-breaking time, I also noticed a dirty towel on the passenger's seat, which just threw gas on my deteriorating mental state as I also became upset with him for leaving a dirty towel in my car, too!
Wanting to just go home, I pushed the button and started the car. As I was backing out of the parking space, I looked over my shoulder to check for oncoming traffic when the pristine and immaculate back seat immediately caught my attention. Knowing that almost every sweater I own is currently in the backseat of my car due to wearing them to work in the cool of the morning but taking them off when it's too hot to drive home... I immediately realized THIS IS NOT MY CAR!!!
Frantically, I put the car into drive and quickly pulled back into the original parking space. A man and woman were standing on the sidewalk, patiently waiting for me to leave so they could get into their car. As soon as I re-parked the car, I grabbed my food and purse and jumped out of the car like it was on fire and blurted to them, "That's not my car!" Confused, the man inquired, "How did you start it?" To which I announced to the entire parking lot, "They left the key fob in it!"
Laughing, the man asked me if it was nicer than mine; I quickly replied, "It's definitely cleaner!" After standing and joking about this and what would have happened if I would have gotten all the way home. I finally went to my own black Explorer, which was located just two cars away from the black Explorer I almost accidently stole.
This school year, our motto is "Let the Whole World See the Greatness of Our God". Sometimes, the world around us will have cases of "mistaken identity" regarding who is really in charge of their lives and who ultimately is the most powerful. As Christians, we know that Jesus is the only Savior, and our job as believers is to tell others about the greatness of our God!
This school year, we want to provide all of our students with numerous avenues through which they can live out their faith and tell others about our great God!
Looking forward to a very exciting year!
In His Great Love,
Mrs. Palka
Faith conversation starters for home:
What is one of God's great qualities that you really appreciate and why?
Who is one person that you can pray for and ask God to help you share your faith with?