By: Payton M. Ishmael
Reorganizing my closets is always a daunting task. There’s no possible way to simply rearrange the contents. On the contrary, my solitary option is to remove everything and put it all back in a neat and orderly fashion. This includes shoes, handbags, clothing and anything else that has found its way inside the albeit ‘black hole’ that stores my attire. Only after the wardrobe is completely disassembled can I properly and efficiently put it back together.
Unfortunately, my lovely tulips operate in this same fashion. Their beauty graced my front flowerbed for a short month’s time. Their presence was breath-taking to say the least. Then, the petals slowly began to dwindle away. Now, only a memory is left of their elegance. They have withdrawn themselves completely so that they can prepare to make their dazzling debut once again next year.
I can think of countless examples of things that must be completely undone in order to be accurately redone. I love when Julia Roberts ties Richard Gere’s tie in Pretty Woman. As a result, I learned how. During the learning process, though, I couldn’t stop half way through to repeat a single step. Instead, I had to straighten the tie out to its original state and complete the process from the beginning again and again and again. I’m a picky perfectionist when it comes to clothing and presentation. Bows have become a sort of nemesis to me; Hair bows, bows on dresses, ribbon on jewelry, shoe strings, and the list goes on. On myself, my students, or complete strangers, bows seem always to need adjusting. I’ve therefore elected myself rescuer of sloppy bows. Again here, there’s no way to readjust. Unfortunately, and often uncomfortably, I have to completely untie to retie.
Having a thorough understanding of this concept, I’m flabbergasted that I ever worried and wondered why my life came completely undone. From an extraordinary fairy-tale where I couldn’t ask for more, to being at my wit’s end in panic and chaos, my primary question was “why?” and my focal plea was “help!” All the pieces I had so neatly planned since childhood were falling apart like holding a puzzle in the air and watching all the little pieces fall to the floor in slow motion. You see, it was a puzzle that I had patiently taken my time on and joyfully watched evolve into a beautiful creation. Like a kid whose sand castle has just been destroyed, I was in the midst of despair.
Most fortunately, luckily, and blessedly now, I can look at my puzzle subjectively, from the point of view of an onlooker. All of these pieces that fell and are falling to the floor are being put in very specific places for purposeful reasons. Although the pieces are still mine, the positioning is much different and much more beautiful than I ever imagined. The Master of the Wind is the now the architect of my life and as I take a step back and look at what He’s doing, I know that all my panic, worry, and sorrow were in vain. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” –Romans 8:28 I don’t believe that everything happens for a reason, but I know that good has the potential to come from everything if we allow it. Sometimes, we have to get the whole closet cleaned completely out and wreak havoc on complacency, routine, and organization in order to get things right.
“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” –Marilyn Monroe
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