“That’s it. This eraser puzzle is broken. Throw it away. I’m finished with it!”
These slightly angry words came at me from the backseat on the way to school this morning. I could also see out of the corner of my eye a hand trying desperately to give me pieces of a rocket ship eraser. “Take it mom! Please! I’m done!”
I reminded him that I was going down the highway at almost 70 mph and probably shouldn’t reach back and grab his eraser parts. He didn’t seem to care. “It’s broken and I’m mad and I want to be done with it! It can’t be fixed.”
Gripping the wheel, I shouted back: “Let me at least try to fix it instead of you just giving up!” When I hit a red light, I grabbed the pieces and placed them on the console. He proceeded to grumble the whole way to school that there was NO way that this eraser could ever be fixed and why didn’t I just throw it away!
Such drama!
Of course, how many times have I grumbled this year that something couldn’t possibly be fixed? How many times have I been ready to give up and throw out a goal or an idea or a project instead of having patience to give it at least one more chance?
I did end up fixing the eraser. And he seemed to have forgotten his declaration that it would never be possible by taking it right back when it was fixed.
My prayer this morning as we enter into the weekend is that we consider holding onto what we think is irreparably broken. Let us examine the pieces, reflect on them, make a plan even if we aren’t 100% sure it’ll work.
May we have the grace to not give up on ourselves.
May we have the grace to not give up on our dreams.
