When I Fall Short

Well, something isn't working correctly for me. Go figure!
I just took a picture of some beautiful scripture tags which were for this past weekend's retreat so I could show them to you. But now - for some reason they aren't showing up when I try to upload them to the blog. Sooooo, you'll need to use your imagination. *smile*
I realize you may be wondering how I could take a picture of scripture tags which were for the retreat after the retreat is already behind us.
And I understand your confusion. I do!
Believe me, it isn't because I am "so amazing."
On the contrary, it is part of a greater picture which shows how imperfect I am.
And how amazing GOD IS.

This is how it went down:
Two of my good friends helped make this retreat happen. During the retreat, itself, they prayed and did all the meal preparation and clean-up. But before the retreat, we got together to work on other preparations. Namely, some beautiful scripture tags which were to be placed at each setting for our meals. The verses were to serve as another way for God to speak to the women who came to listen.
So I chose the scriptures, paper, and ribbon with care - and my friends and I hand-crafted each one.
They were lovely!
Fast-forward to last Friday afternoon when the three of us were setting up the dining room and Joanna asked about the scripture tags. I ran upstairs to retrieve them from my room and I opened my supply bag looked through another bag rechecked the first bag prayed that I'd find them in another one realized I forgot to pack them.

My heart sank.

But just as quickly as my countenance fell, God lifted me up.
He reminded me that - while the scripture tags would have been a nice touch - HE didn't need them in order to speak to the women who were coming to the retreat.
So I sheepishly went back to the dining room to confess my oversight, and mustered up all my faith to convey confidence that the retreat would still be worth-while.
Little did I know, the forgotten scripture tags would be just one of several imperfections throughout the weekend. There was that construction which slowed me down on the way to the retreat center. Activities didn't always coincide with the original schedule I had created. I seemed to be in a habit of misplacing items. One of my guests hit a deer on the way in. And my, uh, feminine thing made an unscheduled, early appearance.
And yet, God met women in their quiet moments of reflection. He spoke to them of His love. He told one woman that He just wanted to look at her - the way she looks at her children and marvels at her love for them. He did exactly as He wanted to do, in spite of my neglect of that nice touch.

In the end, I guess God did use the scripture tags after all. HE used them to remind me that my forgetfulness does not nullify HIS faithfulness. HE used them to confirm to me that my imperfections do not hinder HIS perfection. And HE is still using the memory of my oversight to assure me that HE does not overlook any.thing.

God is good. All he time!