Day 218- A Restroom First

Today had an interesting turn or two. I went to Wal-Mart and decided (with good reason) to go to the restroom.  When I walked in, I heard a flushing sound from the stall and a lady in a dress walked out.  My first thought was that I had walked into the wrong restroom. However,  a quick look at the plumbing equipment on the wall assured me that I was in the correct restroom after all. She smiled and said the sign said that this was a family restroom.  I smiled and said something that I'm not sure was really intelligible. I can remember making sounds, but this situation sort of threw me. I'm not sure my sounds formed any actual words. She continued to say something and I simply cannot remember what because she then went to the sink and started washing her hands. I think I said something like, "Take your time, I'll just wait till you get through." She did not seem to be in too big of a hurry.  She was clean; she seemed to do a good job of washing her hands and then drying them off on a paper towel. So, I had a conversation with a lady in the men's restroom at Wal-Mart for my "first."

When I left, I decided to look at the sign to see if, for some unknown reason, it said family and not men's restroom.  I was pretty sure it said men because I've been in there before and the before mentioned plumbing equipment.  On my way out, I looked and it did indeed say men's restroom.  Underneath that, it said family restroom located in the back of the store.  If you are a female and reading this, it is important to note that the family restroom is in the back of the store, not in the back of the men's restroom.

I have to admit that after she left I waited a minute or two before engaging in any further activity just in case she may have forgotten something and came back in.  After a few minutes, I had my back to the door (I'm trying to be delicate here) and someone else came in and went into a stall.  I finished, washed my hands, and left before they came out and I had another awkward conversation. Who knows who may have come in this time. I had all the awkward restroom conversations I really wanted to have for one day.  For me, any conversation in the restroom is pretty awkward.

I did not think to take pictures of this "first." It did not cross my mind and being arrested may have been a possibility if I had. We'll just have some random non-bathroom pictures today.

Puzzle progress

Hannah Grace made Reese's peanut butter cup fudge 

 

Often I will try to make a spiritual point of my "firsts."  What came to me today was that you need to read the restroom sign carefully before entering.  I know that's not too spiritual, but I still want to say it. The Bible says that we are to be always ready to share the Word. I was not in this situation. If it happens again, I probably won't be then either.  I guess I could make the point that we need to read the Bible with care also.  You can casually read or listen to others and really be misled.  You can end up in a place where you really don't want to be. It is important to listen to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to be your teacher anytime you read or listen to the Bible being preached/taught. If you just haphazardly listen (or not listen at all), you can miss God's purpose for your life and you can miss eternity with Him.  He has said some things in His word that we need to take seriously.  I really don't want to miss God's purposes for my life and for eternity.

There seems to be a lot of explaining away of what the Bible really teaches.  People will say things like, "I know the Bible says this, but I know God wants me to be happy."  Or, "I know the Bible says this, but everybody is doing that."  Let's be sure we are adjusting our lives to the Bible and not trying to adjust the Bible to our lives. Matthew 7: 21-23 are a few verses that let me know we need to pay attention to what God says- ²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

So, let's pay attention to God's word and restroom signs.

Paying attention to the Word for the abundant life
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. My own indoor restroom at my own house
2. The availability of the Bible
3. Shrimp salads