Dented Armor

Last week I had a bit of food poisoning and was flat on the couch not wanting to move. Our living room is at the back of the house, and from the living room you can look into the front room, where there is a floor to ceiling built-in bookshelf. As I was laying there waiting for the pain to go away, I looked up into the front room to find Grace scaling the bookshelf. She was about two feet from the ceiling, hanging there like Spiderman.

"Get down from there!" I panicked. Grace scrambled down as I continued my lecture. "You could fall and break your head open! You could break the bookshelf! Don't ever let me catch you doing that again!"

Grace was upset because she had thrown her Polly Pocket doll up into the bookshelf, and she was trying to climb up to get it. I told her that I was very sick and she would have to wait for her dad to come home from work to climb up to retrieve it.

About 15 minutes later, Emma came over to me looking VERY sympathetic. "I'm sorry you are hurting, Mama," she said, as she hugged me tightly and patted my back. I was struck by the incredible compassion from my selfless daughter, and turned to kiss her cheek, when I saw- the horror!- that she was signaling to her sister that the coast was clear to climb up the bookshelf. Emma was a decoy, there to distract me, as her sneaky sister began her treacherous climb up the shelf!

Of course, I let them have it. "How DARE you try to trick your poor, sick mama! You disobyed, and snuck, and lied!"

I sent them to their rooms for a time out.

Ten minutes later, I called them back so they could apologize. Emma was inconsolable.

"I have a dent!" she wailed.

What?

"You have a zit?" I asked.

"A dent! I have a dent!"

We went back and forth, until she finally cried, "I have a DENT in my armor!"

Grace had to explain the rest. "Mr. Fairchild (their vice principal) told us that whenever we do something bad, we put a dent into our good armor."

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at these two naughty ladies who had tried to tag team me only moments before.

I think a lot of us wish we could scream at the world, "I have a dent!" Imagine seeing our past mistakes as dented armor. :) I know mine would look pretty awful. Although I love the analogy of dents in our armor, I am grateful that we can buff out the dents with good behavior and forgiveness so that our armor is shiny and new. Best of all- God doesn't see the dents, only the hearts behind them, awash in His son's grace. :)

The gals would be MORTIFIED if they knew I shared this with you. :)