Untangling

Laura finished dressing and picked up her favorite necklace. Great. Tangled. How did that happen? She played around with it for a few minutes with no success.

I don’t have time for this. God, can you… No. Wait. A tangled necklace is not worth asking God about. My tangled life, well, that’s another story.

She slid the tangled part of the necklace toward the clasp and fastened it around her neck. It was shorter than usual, but as long as she kept that part of the necklace in the back, no one would see it under her hair. If only she could hide her life tangles so easily.

She ran a brush through her hair one last time and exited the bathroom. Making her way down the hall, she knocked sequentially on Eden’s door, and then Zach’s. “Are you up?”

Groans from each room told her it would be a typical rushed morning. “The bus leaves in –” she glanced at her watch – “25 minutes. And I have a meeting this morning, so I can’t drive you if you’re late.”

Laura rolled her neck and headed downstairs to let Bear out. At least he was simple. Sure enough, he jumped up at her approach and ran to the back door. She let him out and moved to the kitchen to pack lunches and grab breakfast.

Eden called down the stairs. “Mom! There’s no hot water!”

Oh, no. It had gotten awfully cold the last few minutes of my shower, but I hoped it was a fluke. “Hold on!” She dashed to the basement and checked out the hot water heater. Sure enough, a puddle of water surrounded it.

No, no no. This could not be happening.

She ran the water in the utility sink, and more water leaked from the tank. She flipped the switch to turn off the water supply and ran back upstairs.

“You guys can’t use the water. The water heater is broken.”

“I need to wash my hair,” Eden moaned.

“I’ll call the plumber today. Put it in a braid. You can use the water cooler for washing your face and brushing your teeth. There’s no time to wash your hair anyway. We need to move.”

Laura called through Zach’s door. “Did you hear all that?”

“Yeah.”

Thirty minutes later, the kids were on their way to school and Laura was on route to work. Sure, she knew when John moved out it would be tough, but this was nearly impossible. Managing two teenagers, the house and all its problems was bad enough, but dealing with a demanding boss and the two team members who refused to compromise put her over the top. Her life really was as tangled as her necklace.

She dashed into work and made it to the conference room just as the meeting was starting. By the end of the meeting, she’d been assigned yet another new project.

As she headed back to her desk, she ran into Ruth. Ruth took one look at her face and pulled her into her office.

“You look like you need prayer.”
Tears pricked Laura’s eyes, but she blinked them away. “I’m OK, just overwhelmed.”
“Of course you are. Being separated from John is bound to be stressful.”

“It’s not just that. I have to manage the house, the kids, and everything here, and I feel like I’m failing at everything.”

“Have you prayed about it?”

Laura shrugged. “Not really. When you put it all together, it’s overwhelming, but except for my marriage problems, everything else is just minor stuff adding up. I don’t want to bother God with every little thing.”

“God cares about every little thing. Let me pray with you.”

Laura closed her eyes while Ruth prayed. “God, please look after Laura. She’s trying to navigate marriage challenges, managing her children without her partner, dealing with house issues, and juggling all the responsibilities at this job. She needs Your help, God. Please show her You care about her. Please give her strength, peace, and wisdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Laura’s anxiousness ticked down a notch. “Thank you, Ruth. I should have done that from the start. I better get back to work. But first I need to call a plumber. Our hot water tank is broken.”

Ruth brightened. “Well, that I can help you with. My husband is a plumber. I know for a fact he has a light day today since I’m meeting him for lunch. If you trust him, I could give him your key and he’d have you back in business before you got home from work.”

Laura stared at Ruth. Could it really be that easy? “If he’s anything like you, I’d trust him with my life. That would be amazing. Thank you. I’ll have my housekey on your desk before lunch.”

Laura exited Ruth’s office with a renewed sense of hope. Maybe she could get through this day after all. She headed to the ladies’ room. As she passed the mirror, her reflection caught her attention. Her necklace hung at its usual spot. How was that possible? She ran her finger along the chain back to the clasp and gasped. The necklace had untangled itself. Maybe God really did care about the small things in her life.

Philippians 4: 6-7

 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

God, life can be overwhelming sometimes. But you care about the little details. Please help us remember to pray. If we give our troubles to You, You will carry them for us. It doesn’t mean all our problems will go away, but with Your strength, we can handle them. Thank you for carrying our burdens and giving us a place of peace, rest, and comfort. In Jesus’ name, Amen.