Great Lesson from God

As I sit here on "THE MONSTROSITY" I have so many emotions. It is not the awesome, beige/brown sofa I love to look at in magazines that have my neutral style and clean lines. It is hideous. You see, my journey to this great lesson starts at Ikea when I clap and jump up and down and thank God and my sweet, loving gypsy face of a husband for the awesome three seater sofa with a white slip cover. We couldn't afford the sassy dark brown one or the herringbone patterned one so I had the idea to coffee stain it. Gypsy Face agreed we would save a lot of money if we did this and so off we went. Round #1. I shove the entire slip cover in our newly purchased (but lovingly used) washing machine and throw the brewed coffee in. We sit and wait and check on it like a brand new baby that just came home from the hospital. We have so many questions and doubts....will it be tie dyed....will it wash right out and look like we never did anything.....how long should we leaving it? OK, so after about two hours we bring it out, put it in the drying and voila! NOT!!! Ok, it didn't look bad, but instead of the dark, rich brown I wanted it turned out to be a light cream color. Round #2. I went to the good ol U.S. of A. and brought back a packet of Rit Dye. So excited to make this now light cream sofa into a dark brown, luscious, sofa of my dreams! I mean, it came from the motherland right? It HAD to turn out, right? This great idea had now at this point become a battle. I WOULD make this work. Especially now that I had people ready and willing to see what it looks like. These people who were telling me how clever I was and how I was such a great wife to save money and be so creative. I mean, I had to live up to that right? So, Rit Dye packet goes in the wash, along with the slip cover that was once again shoved in the machine and left for an even longer time. No baby-ish thoughts this time, just plain determination. IT WOULD WORK, IT WOULD WORK, IT HAS TO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So while I sit in my chair, just knowing that God is going to bless me this time because I have been a cheap, frugal, awesomely crafty wife who will bring the Gypsy Face honor and Glory, my slip cover lays in ruin. We pull it out this time it is no longer the even, cute but undesired color of light cream. It is an awful monstrosity that is multicolored. Where did I go wrong? You people may already have this answer, but not me. I am in the midst of entertaining some friends and I sling my dog Mango in to the arms of a guest and wallow in pity. IT'S RUINED!!!!!!!!!!! Tie dyed brown, red with splotches of purple. I didn't even remember the days of art appreciation where you learn to mix colors. I am incredulous that my beautiful cover and the wonder dye from the good motherland have failed me. I am doomed! Poor Gypsy Face, he tries to make me feel better by telling me that the tie dye matches my personality because I am a long lost hippie. He does not like the wretched witch I have turned into and the face that yells...."THAT IS THE UGLIEST COMPLIMENT YOU HAVE EVER GIVEN ME!!!!!!!!!!!!" Round #3I get black dye from B2S!!! Yay! They have it! So I get ten packs, sure this will do the trick. I mean, it already dyed my clothes and fingers as I dissolve it in the machine. So, hours and hours later, I pull my now tattered and hideous slip cover out of the machine and guess what? NOT! It is now grey/brown. Well, I should say the cushions are that color, while the body is still a mottled brown/red, with grey spots in it. Ok. Distraught, beaten, and a little incredulous, I just leave it on the floor and walk out of the room, up the stairs, and straight into Gypsy Face's arms. Pathetic. I am doomed. The women's group from church is coming, I've spent all the money on this battle, and am left with the embarrassing realization that this is now my couch. People will laugh, they will laugh and say I'm crazy. They will talk about how stupid I was to think I could pull this off. OH, the things they will say. So, after all this drama, I get up and think, I need God. I get out my book study and read all morning about Hezekiah, the king who served the Lord and was successful. The only downfall he had was what?????? You got it....PRIDE. I sit here on this sofa, the hideous monstrosity and and think, wow. I wanted the glory, I wanted to be the crafty wife, I wanted to be the domestic diva, the one who brought my husband respect and honor. Hahaha! God says, you are to serve me and have no other Gods. I am to give HIM the glory, the honor and praise. I had not done that. What happened to the grateful girl who was so thankful that God had provided a sofa? She turned into a selfish, prideful brat! I'm so sorry God, I cried. Please, forgive my selfishness, my greed and my need to be a perfect, clever wife. Please forgive my foolishness and the embarrassment I have caused. But more than that, I promise to keep this sofa as hideous and imperfect as it is to remind me that YOU and YOU ALONE are the only reason I have anything. And once again I am thankful that you showed me and returned my focus to you. I love this couch. I love it's ugliness, it's imperfections, and the ugly lesson that came with it. Thank you for loving me and my ugliness, my imperfections and giving me the grace and mercy I don't deserve.