Mischief Maker

Mischief Maker

And we know that in all things God works

for the good of those who love Him,

who have been called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

I was raised in the household of a loving but silent father, and an overbearing mother with extremely conservative views.  By the time I reached high school age, I was ready for a little wholesale rebellion.

My behavioral mutinies were extremely mild by today’s standards, but for my conservative educational institution, it was intolerable: sneaking off campus for a little decent nourishment; the proper placement of whoopie cushions and plastic barf; crossing the invisible gender segregation line at inappropriate times; stretching clear plastic film underneath the toilet seat in the teacher’s restroom; setting off fire crackers in geometry; beginning the humming chorus in English; placing a potato in the tailpipe of the principal’s stationwagon.  I spent an inordinate amount of time in that man’s office.

Many years later, I called the Registrar’s Office at the school to make arrangements for a transcript to be sent for graduate school.  When the older woman who answered the phone asked for my name, her blurted response was classic:  “Oh, I’ve heard about you!”

That phone call was a pointed reminder of just how long a bad reputation can hang around.  Human nature finds tales of missteps far more interesting than toeing the line, and gossip expands silly pranks into mountainous transgressions.  Thankfully, God used all of my peccadilloes to transform me into who I am today.  He forgave me a long time ago, and that is all that really matters.

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Something beautiful, something good,

All my confusion He understood.

All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife,

But He made something beautiful of my life.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 394