Blessings in Stupid Mistakes by Amber Schamel

"Amber, this is really stupid. You should have known better."

I have said these words to myself many times, but particularly during my latest mishap.

First, you have to know something about me: I love curly hair. I mean LOVE it. I think it is gorgeous and am known to scold people for straightening their luscious curls. It didn't take long for me to notice the common denominator in most women I considered beautiful...they all had curly hair. Add to that my obsession with the Civil War era and their perfect ringlet hairstyles and you have what is more than just a fascination with curls. That being said, it seems almost torture to me that all of my sisters have naturally curly hair, all four of them, but not me. How else do you spell n-o-t f-a-i-r?

I have tried almost every method of curling my hair. Hot irons, hot rollers, wands, gels, sprays...yet after all that work, the curls come out in a matter of minutes. And yes, I've tried hairspray. That just makes them come out faster.

Anyway, the other day I saw these special curlers at the store. They promised tight and bouncy ringlets without heat or damage, so I bought them with great expectation. (Now, some of you experienced people are stifling a laugh and probably know what is coming next, but just humor me for a moment.)

 

We had a special occasion and a little extra time, so I decided it would be a good time to try out my new curlers. I washed my hair, combed it and pulled out my new miracle workers. They were round curlers with these fish-bone thingies sticking out to help make the curls more bouncy.

Those of you that know me also know I have quite a head of hair. It's fairly thick and long enough to reach about the middle of my thigh. This being the case, I set up a timer so I would know how long it took to get all the little curlers in my hair. At about twenty minutes in, I was doing pretty well, until I sorta dropped one as I rolled it up. It didn't fall out. It was then that I realized I couldn't unroll it, or pull it out. The fish-bone thingies were tangled in my hair and it was pretty stuck.

Uh oh.

I better see if these others will come out. One came out just fine, the others, not so much. I now had about a dozen curlers stuck in a tangled mass that had been my hair a few moments ago.

Great. Just great. I feel really stupid now. I should have seen this coming.

As I lectured myself about my vanity and how I should be happy with the hair God gave me, I tried in vain to untangle the mess. Fortunately, there was someone there to help me redeem my head. An hour and sixteen minutes later I was very happy to have my straight, somewhat frizzy hair back.

When the dust settled and I related my adventure to my sisters, a thought struck me. God is so good to me.

Now your brow may be wrinkling and you're thinking 'what on earth does getting curlers caught in your hair have to do with God being good to you?'

Fair question.

First of all, I realized that even though I'd made a stupid mistake, even though I'd ignored that quiet voice inside my head telling me it wasn't a good idea, even though I deserved what had happened to me because of my vanity, there were still blessings every step of the way. 

1) I realized my mistake before I had entangled my entire head of hair, and that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't clumsily dropped the curler. That was a blessing.

2) I had the time to deal with it. I could have been rushed to get out the door and had a dozen curlers stuck to my head, but I had listened to the voice inside my head when it said I should give myself a lot of time.

3) There was someone there to help me through. I couldn't have fixed it by myself.

4) In the end, I came through all right.

So really, the whole curler episode was a blessing in disguise, because even though it was a small thing, it ended up being a parable to me of God's never ending faithfulness and grace. As Christians, when we go through trials we have a hope, a comfort and a blessing that He will be with us every step of the way dropping little blessings to help us make it through. We can rejoice in all things, because it is all worked out to be in our favor and for our good. (Romans 8:28)

In other words, God can take lemons and make lemonade, rotten bananas and make banana bread. 

What blessings has God dropped on you lately? Are you going thru something that's hard to spot the silver lining?  Tell me about it!

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Best selling and multi-published author Amber Schamel has a passion for history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its best". A homeschool graduate from a family of 12 children, Amber found her calling early in life. First published at age 21, she has continued to hone her craft and was honored to judge the 2014 ACFW Genesis contest.  

Between ministry, family and working in their family businesses, Amber loves to connect with readers. Find her on the Stitches Thru Time blog, or on any of the major social media sites.

www.AmberSchamel.com 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberSchamel 

Twitter - @AmberSchamel https://twitter.com/AmberSchamel
Pintrest - http://pinterest.com/AmberDSchamel/

Are You Wearing a Mask?

I think it’s tough to be real…truly authentic. Not afraid of our blemishes and fears. I’m talking about putting ourselves out there.

The truth is, no one likes a complainer so we tell everyone we’re fine when we’re not. We paste on a smile and reel off Christianisms like “too blessed to be stressed”, only to cry out in pain alone. We sit in Bible studies and give pat answers while the others nod in agreement. We talk and act the “right” way…we wear the mask.

Have you ever sat in a class where the teacher is giving a lecture but you’re completely lost? You look around the room and everyone else seems to comprehend the lesson while silently taking notes. You dare not raise your hand for fear of looking foolish.

The teacher finishes, takes a deep breath and asks, “Does anyone have any questions before we move on?”

Cough. Shuffle. Cough. Cough.

“Okay, since you all understand, then turn to page…”

One hand sheepishly goes up in the back. “I’m sorry miss, but I’m confused.”

The teacher sighs and looks around the classroom. “Anyone else not get it?”

Slowly, one by one, all hands go up. A wave of relief washes over you. So you weren’t alone, after all.

This is the problem when we aren’t real. If we don’t put our issues out there, we can never get help. And, by admitting to our own imperfections or struggles, we might end up helping someone else.

It’s not easy being a mother of two kids who have special needs. I make instant connections with other moms of children who have disabilities when I’m honest about the challenges my family faces daily. Before you know it, we are exchanging wonderful ideas and a commitment to encourage each other.

Sometimes we get burned when we put ourselves out there, but maybe we just might be a blessing to someone else.

- Cherie Gagnon

Do you think we wear too many masks?