The Frame

     I had seen on Pintrest people taking goddy vintage frames, painting them and putting a chalk board inside.  I love to make old thing new a beautiful.  I wasn't able to go out and spend any money on a frame.  When that happens I usually ask the Lord to provide.  He did!  I was driving in our neighbor hood and a family had a sign out that said "free." I pulled over and just as I did the gal put this ugly thing on the grass. 

I quickly snatched it up as my heart nearly burst from how personal God was being with me at that very moment.  He also provided a bag of Easter eggs and new mason jars as my kiddo's have been breaking ours lately.  Three things I had specifically asked God for and He gave them to me in this wonderful way. 

     I got right to work.  I picked out a color that I thought would look good in Abi's room and started spray painting.  Abi loved it just as much as I didn't with an approving, "petty Mom!" (pretty Mom)  It took me a couple of days of light layers of paint snuck in between my regular life duties.  I enjoyed every moment of the process. 

      Here's were all that I have been learning about Humility and Rest came into play.  I finished the painting and brought the frame it to hold up to Abi's grey wall.  I love grey and yellow together.  So did she.  Together we got excited about how "petty" it was.  Just then the frame slipped out of my hand as it hit the ground. The brittle plastic broke into several pieces.  In that moment my mind spun with thoughts.  The first of which was, why would You give me this thing making me feel so loved just to take it away.  My second thought was, OK this is when I choose humility and just accept the circumstance You allowed and don't freak out.  So I didn't freak out.  A normal response for me in a situation like this, because there have been plenty would have been, crying, discouragement, and figuring out how because I'm stupid it was all my fault.
     It took all of 5 seconds to have these thoughts and be surprised at my own lack of freaking out.  As I stood there stunned that my frame was on the ground in pieces and stunned that I was OK with it, my sweet 2 year old little girl said,"Broke Mommy, Broke."  I looked at her and sadly said, "Yes, Abi it broke."  A few moments went by and I hear her voice again, I looked up to see her with her head to the side, a concerned look on her face and these words, "sordy Mommy" (sorry Mommy).  That was it. That was what God was doing with the frame.  I still feel loved that I got it from someone giving things away on their lawn.  I thought the end purpose was to hang it in my daughters room but it wasn't it was for "sordy Mommy." She was so compassionate in that moment. God spoke to my heart right then and said, "you just saw what I see in her, now cultivate it."

      Now I have no idea how to cultivate compassion in a little girl but I am confident as I remember to ask God to show me that He will give me the wisdom.  I kept a little piece of the frame and hung it above her bed to remind me of the very specific quality that God showed me in here.  Its still disappointing to not get to finish my project and have that fun wall piece in her room but I would take what God did in me and showed me about Abigail over a Pintrest project any day.