By Jennifer Smith
I can do most things, to some degree, that I set my mind to. Maybe it's because my parents always told me I could, and I believed them. I can be a stubborn problem solver, and I don't like to admit if I can't do something. I will Google, struggle, and claw before I ask someone for help even though I love to help other people. It's a character flaw, I know, I know.
David is thankful I can be so independent, but he sometimes questions if I need him at all. I always joke, "Isn't it better for me to want you than need you?"
A couple of Saturdays ago, I was working with Grace and Kathryn at David Christopher's so David could have the day off. He had worked six days a week for the past three weeks. He was so tired. Toward the end of the day, a lady came and asked for us to tie two bows for her new grandbaby. I told Grace I could do it, and I believed I could. After all, I have tied a lot of bows over the years.
The ribbon I was using was from the pits of hell. Or maybe I was rusty. Or maybe I was panicking, because the lady was waiting in the parking lot for her bows, and I felt the pressure. I got the first bow tied, but I was struggling with the mailbox bow. Like really struggling. It needed to be huge, and I was not sure I had ever tied a bow of this magnitude. David makes everything look so easy. I literally watched his HOW TO video on YouTube at his design table trying to remember what to do. Why in the world did I agree to this? I had temporarily lost my mind or at least my ability to tie a mailbox bow. I blamed my failed memory on COVID-19. Everything was and still is COVID's fault, right? After all, I had been home with two boys trying to homeschool, cook thirty meals a day, and clean up a lot of messes while also working remotely. Then, I remembered I had never tied a mailbox bow in my life. I felt like I would hyperventilate. My insides were shaking. Over. A. Bow.
I called David, "Please help me. I have told a customer we would tie this bow, and I can't get it to stay tied." He tried to coach me over the phone. The sweet customer agreed to come back later to pick them up. I think I was hyperventilating over not being able to do it than over anything else. Poor David. He loaded up the kids in the car, all still in pajamas, and drove twenty five minutes from our house to the store in Sheffield to save his wife and to please a customer.
It took him about three minutes to tie the bow. THREE MINUTES. He rescued me in three minutes. My breathing slowed, my heart stopped racing. I needed him, and he has reminded me no less than ten times in the past couple of weeks--all in good fun. And I am okay with it. Because the truth is, we all need one another. We aren't nearly as independent as we think. Whether it's needing someone to change the oil in our cars, someone to repair our roof, or someone to tie a bow for us. And I needed my pride pierced.
I have such a respect for what David does. Someone can send him a picture of literally ANYTHING they want created out of florals, and he can create it. Usually, it looks even better than the picture. He's been practicing his craft for almost twenty years. He does it well and with the greatest humility I have ever seen in an artist. I sometimes see him as a hidden jewel in our community where only a few people truly get how talented he is. But he doesn't care if anyone "gets it" or not. He just wants to work as if unto the Lord. Creating beautiful pieces for people is a form of worship to him. It's not about pleasing man but about pleasing His Heavenly Father. Maybe that's why there is such an anointing on what he does.
We are all pieces of a bigger puzzle, and we all have a place to complete a bigger picture. My prayer is that we all work as if unto the Lord, because He is our ultimate supervisor. And sometimes, even when we do our best, we need the help of others. Truth is, we all need to be taken down a notch or two at different moments in life. In those lower notches we find humility, the beauty in connectedness and a humble heart making us a more useable vessel for the Lord and for one another.
Blessings to you all!
With Love,
Jen
Jen