Fatal Flaw Devotion
Everyone has a fatal flaw as I like to call them. The one thing that ALWAYS gets you in trouble. The one thing you are always trying to improve on and the one thing you seem to never be able to improve on. You can be Mother Teresa….except for this one flaw. Everyone has them, even me.
Now, stop giggling and thinking that my fatal flaw is being a clutz. Yes, I am a clutz and I do put myself into stupid situations that magnify my clutziness (can we say icy stair railing…seriously, what was I thinking?). That however is just God providing free entertainment for everyone around me. And it is my honor to do so….although as I get older the injuries become more serious and I may need to start taking up ‘offering’ for this entertainment I provide!
Back to the real fatal flaw. Let me just put a disclaimer here that I have more than one flaw….I know it’s hard to believe…but it’s true. However, my fatal flaw is that thing that is constantly kicking me in the butt, the one thing that if anyone asked what my weakness was, this would be it. So what is this troublesome habit I have that just seems to stick with me? My fatal flaw is opening my mouth before I speak. Some people call it being a smart aleck, and others have less inappropriate names for it. Either way I’ve been called all of them.
When I was a kid, my dad would tell me to do something like do the dishes. I would say what do you want me to do with them… or he would say something like take out the trash and I would say that the trash wasn’t my type. He would tell me not to watch a certain TV show and I would say why not? I see the same stuff live and in person here in the neighborhood and even in my own house. Yeah, I really got in trouble for those comments. Well, I could go on but I don’t want to give you guys any more ideas so…… back on subject……I used most of my smart aleck remarks on my dad when I was a teenager, just like many of you…and I believe it’s a miracle I’m still breathing. The limp though will be a reminder forever. Just kidding!
Seriously, I was a smart butt to my dad. I just couldn’t keep my big mouth shut. Then I went into the career world as a real estate manager and I was a smart butt to everyone! It didn’t help that we’d try to outdo each other in the office. When there were no customers we’d just start with each other to see who we could get the best and most original smart aleck remarks from. I still think that I outdid everyone. There are still legends of my remarks circling around the real estate world to this day! Just ask any Century 21 Community Realty agent….
After the real estate world though, I entered education as a 2nd grade teacher. Talk about a complete 180! It turns out 2nd graders don’t get my smart aleck remarks, parents don’t appreciate me trying to spread my ‘wisdom’, and the boss lady says something about violating a code. UGH!
So here I was a grown woman, knowing that I’ve had this problem my whole life, and now I really had to do something about it. Don’t get me wrong, I had tried before. Trust me…my dad grounded me many times with not much improvement. It really didn’t help though that there was a tree outside my window I could climb down to escape. Sorry Dad. I even tried to improve near the end of my real estate world, knowing that I was about to enter into a new profession that wouldn’t appreciate my talents quite so much. However, the fact is there’s no excuse….I kept going because I had to leave with a bang!
So if I had tried for all these years to improve on my fatal flaw, and hadn’t done it, what was I to do? I knew I had to tone it down…a lot….as a teacher. I did not want to be blamed for some kid growing up to be a smart aleck and then getting his butt kicked because of it. Nor did I want to be fired… money and food were kinda important. So, what could I do?
Have you heard the new Casting Crowns song “Slow Fade?” Stop objecting, I have a point. It talks a lot about little steps watching your every move, hearing everything you say, and doing what you do. It talks about how you don’t crumble or fall to evil in a day, that it’s a slow fade. You let your fatal flaw stir inside you until finally it consumes you. Slow and steady wins the race. Well, I really like that song because it proves two things….
1-There is always someone watching or listening. Yes, the obvious answer is Jesus but it could also be kids or students or parents or friends even. What you do and how you act is seen by others. And if you don’t act appropriately, not only is that a bad witness but you may become responsible for someone else doing something stupid because they copied you.
2-It is a slow thing. Yeah, I’ve had years of practice being a smart aleck. I had times when it did consume me and others where it was just growing quietly and waiting for it to explode and cause major trouble. All I needed was a stressful situation and BAM! Off I went. I would get into a heated argument and make things a hundred times worse with my smart aleck remarks. I know there are some heads nodding at this very second. Thank goodness I am not the only one at least….right?
So what do I do with these two things? First I had to realize that I had 20 7 year olds looking up to me and copying my every word and move. So, I had to stop for them. I didn’t want them to be the teenager that gets grounded every week for some smart aleck remark. They might not have a tree to climb out of for goodness sake!
Secondly, I had to realize that it took a long time to hone my skills, so it was going to take a while to actually reverse that. I had to recognize situations where I was prone to smart off…..and walk away. Literally, walk away. Now, that doesn’t mean if you have the same problem that you can just walk away from mom and dad when you are getting in trouble. Don’t be telling your parents I said that. If you are in a situation where you can’t walk away, ie bosses or parents, it’s actually quite simple…..shut up! I had to really learn to shut up! Keep my mouth closed, physically closed, and if asked a question, answer with a simple yes or no maam or sir. Trust me, KISS it. Keep it short and sweet in those situations. Then once everyone has cooled down and you think you can talk calmly without smarting off, go back to them and talk rationally without smarting off!
Now, everyone has a different fatal flaw. Yours may be different than mine, but the same rules apply. You have to remember no matter what the flaw is that you are not alone. This is bad because you are being watched and there will be consequences. This is good though too because Jesus is watching you. He isn’t up there going through a file of punishments while you are getting ready to get into some big trouble. If you’re about to get into a sticky situation, He is watching you, yes, but He is up there in Heaven screaming…..STOP! ASK ME FOR HELP! DON’T MAKE ME GIVE YOU THE CONSEQUENCES. REACH OUT FOR ME AND I’LL HELP YOU OUT OF THIS. I MUCH RATHER HELP YOU THAN WATCH YOU SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS. JUST REACH FOR ME OR CALL ME OR SOMETHING!
And….If you stop and think about Him watching and ask yourself…would I want the Almighty One, the guy who died on the cross for my sins to see this……..you just might change your mind and say God help me with this flaw.
Just like I told you that fatal flaw grows gradually, it will go away slowly most likely. But hey, again, He is there to say I’ll hold your hand while we go through this. Notice I said WE. It doesn’t matter what the flaw is. It can be being a smart butt or it can be doing drugs. God isn’t going to choose to help one and not the other. He will hold out his hand and while you are working it out, He’ll keep holding. And personally, I would take that over anything. The guy who created the Heavens and the Earth wants to help you, and with him helping you…what the heck can stop you?
So I know you’re all wondering. Has she stopped her fatal flaw? Well I hold true to my words and say that I am working on it. It has gotten TONS better but it’s still there. Some days are better than others, but everyday I know God is there to help me through it and even forgive me when I do screw up! Honestly, the whole reason I wrote this devotion was because today wasn’t a better day. And it wasn’t even because I was a smart aleck!
It turns out I have a little protégé, if you will. She says I’m her role model and thinks I’m the greatest. I keep telling her to get her brain looked at but she refuses. Trust me, I don’t get it either. Anyways, today, my sweet little innocent follower got in trouble…..for being a smart aleck. When her mom called me I felt horrible because I know she picked some of it up from me probably. Some role model I am! I picked her up and the minute she got in the car she told me to go ahead and start lecturing. We talked all of it through and she ended up apologizing to the persons she did it too. And as I dropped her off with her mom I couldn’t help but remember that Casting Crowns song. You see, I couldn’t help but think that not only is the big guy looking down on me, but I have very impressionable teenagers that watch my every move. That is yet another reason to work on my fatal flaw. I can’t let my fatal flaw become one of theirs. Not only would I feel bad, but some parents just might kill me.
Moral of the story: Let God help you through your fatal flaw and for goodness sake don’t let your fatal flaw be passed onto someone else. And to my little protégé’, I love you more and I promise to keep my flaw from passing on to you!
