For want of a nail, the shoe was lost
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost
For want of a horse, the rider was lost
For want of a horse, the battle was lost
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost
All for the want of a horseshoe nail
Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme
I start in the kitchen and get caught up in the laundry room, passing my shadow in the bedrooms as I tend, clean, and organize many times, leaving projects undone while I am called away on another mission. Cleaning up toys while the bottle sits half-made on the counter, Charlotte takes out things as fast as I put them up, and Eva asks her many questions from the other room. Sometimes, my answers get flip-flopped and tongue-tied, sounding more like a muddled mess than clear responses. “Girls! Feed the beds and make the dogs.”
Clean dishes are connected to lunch, while washing is connected to folding. One task hinges upon the other, for the want of a horseshoe nail.
While visiting with my Grandpa one afternoon, we talked about family and life. He made the statement. “Your grandma and I have had wonderful times together since our kids have been grown.” “But don’t you miss those young years when you were all together,” I asked. He responded, “Yes, but it’s a good miss. I have no regrets. I know I didn’t do everything perfectly. But they still come home, and that is success to me.” I listened intently, hanging on to his every word. “Grandpa, that’s what I want,” I stated when he finished. “Don’t you forget this. It will be your voice in their heads, the comfort they seek when they are all grown up. Keep doing what you are doing. They will love you for it. And they’ll come home.”
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1 Samuel 4:11-15 brings a sad ending to Eli’s life. Eli’s eyes are growing dim as he sits and waits on the wall for his sons to come home from battle. They never return. His sons died because of wrong choices and, in the end, were not where they were supposed to be. They used God as a Genie in a bottle on the battlefield; utterly, it became their doom. Eli fell to his death when he heard the fate of his sons. Sadly, his sons were never looking for him.
In contrast, Deuteronomy 34:7 states that Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural vigor diminished. Moses was not perfect, but he always pursued God diligently. He found sight and strength until the day God took him home. He climbed his mountains continuously, never faltering.
Mowing the backyard, Tyson enjoyed his stroller and listening to the birds on the back porch. He is so content when outside (I wonder where he gets that). The girls were also sitting on the back porch, swinging one minute and chalking the next. Joy overwhelmed me as I pushed the mower over the grass. They were all content as long as their eyes could find me.
“Great successes are often overlooked as insignificant moments.” We must be careful not to miss God’s set up for a step up.
Jim Stockdale
The back door opens and closes as they run in and out to see where I am working next. They want to be close. Like my Grandpa, I find hints of success in that.
In looking for the horseshoe nails to win the battles from room to room and in my flowerbeds, I pray that the Lord finds me climbing my mountains all my days.
Oh, Zion, Go up on a high mountain; Oh Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, behold your God!
Isaiah 40:9
