Our family in the Pacific Northwest bought some rural property, with two other families. Beautiful place, it already had a garden, and some fruit trees, but no chicken house. Son-in-law, a fine re-modeler, promptly built what has been called a "five-star-chicken-house", excellent in every way.
Spring came on, and the grandchildren bought (more or less, their parents did help) some baby chicks. Of course, little girls want to name chicks. Flower names, they chose. Their favorite was Tulip. Chicks grow. Soon it was time to move them out to the chicken house and yard.
All chickens are not created equal, and it soon became apparent that Tulip was not going to lay eggs! Tulip was, in fact, a rooster. And he'll tell you all about it, frequently, loudly, and early. Which is fine! If my grand-daughters name their rooster Tulip, who am I to complain. They are among my favorite people in the world.
Life goes like that sometimes. Lovable folks name and define things, and we just go along. Even if we end up with a rooster named Tulip. That's just fine. And sometimes lovable folks, who really don't have any idea about what they are defining, put us in some strange positions.
I often remember, and chuckle to myself at appropriate times, the old vaudeville disclaimer: "I'm not a doctor, I never went to a real medical school, but I did hang around drug-stores a lot when I was a kid." It helps when someone speaks so authoritatively about medical matters, of which they have no actual knowledge. At all. Not that I do, but often I'm really sure the self-assured diagnoses, often of someone never even met personally, are certainly among the more non-helpful things in life. Especially when we lift those definitions up to God in prayer, to the One who is not mystified by anything medical, to say the least.
Now, I can smile, and simply whisper to myself: "Tulip!" and if it just continues interminably, I can keep smiling and whisper to myself: "Vaudeville doctor!" And smile. And try to be helpful. And not criticize. After all, God loves us even when we get it wrong, which is most of the time, at best.
Everybody needs a little smile-generator like that, if you set out to be a real and helpful friend. It really helps!
Smile - - - and be a blessing.
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