What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Part 3

What could possibly go wrong? Famous last words, right? Oh, how I’m learning not to flippantly act like I am in control of anything!

If you missed Part 1 or Part 2, please go back and read them. They will enhance the story for you heading into Part 3. The gist of it is this: last March I hastily volunteered to babysit my grandkids, a day’s drive from my house, while my husband and girls went to a 2-day concert the weekend after Labor Day. What could possibly go wrong, right?

48 hours before we were to leave on that trip, my husband had emergency surgery to repair a fully torn tendon in his shoulder. We found ourselves committed to travel, but rightly concerned about his pain meds, wound care, and one-handed life on the road.

Mouse in the House

If that wasn’t enough, we had seen a mouse in the house. We’d called our pest control service and scheduled the earliest available technician. He came the day before we were supposed to leave.

He asked me to take everything out of the cabinets. He set traps. And then he suggested we get expandable foam from Home Depot to close some gaps between the cabinets and the wall so critters could not visit again.

My convalescing husband was unable to help. He asked if I thought I could do it? “Sure”, I said confidently. What could possibly go wrong?

I attached the straw-like attachment to the pressurized can. I didn’t read the instructions because the words were tiny. But how hard could it be? I looked at the pictures and they were simple. I aimed and pulled the trigger.

The foam went up into the gaps as planned. Emboldened, I sprayed more and more, filling the space. The wet, sticky stuff got too heavy and began to fall. I caught it and pushed it back into the crevices.

Foam Fingers

I didn’t want to touch the can with goopy hands, so I went to the sink. I turned on the water, pumped some soap into my palm, and rubbed my hands together. The foam spread all over my fingers and my hands, front and back. But it didn’t wash off.

I called my husband. He asked if I had read the instructions. I admitted that I hadn’t. I told him about the pictures. He noticed the hands in the illustrations were gloved. Oops. I hadn’t picked up on that.

We went to Google. It suggested acetone. I poured nail polish remover all over my hands. It did nothing to discourage the expandable foam, which was quickly drying and creating a fiberglass-like hard covering. We tried olive oil and peanut butter (hey, it works on gum!). We tried different soaps and ointments. Nothing worked.

I removed my coated rings and tried to clean them. No luck. I had to leave them off.

“Spray foam insulation is developed from 2 types of composite material, polyurethane, and isocyanate. When combined, the 2 materials chemically react to expand and harden.”

Google

While we wondered what to do about my hands, the foam started falling again. It slid, drying, down the wall and onto the countertop. It was a huge mess!

I hadn’t packed yet. The contents of my cabinets were spread over the kitchen and dining room. There was expanding foam drying on the walls and countertops. And I could barely move my hands.

I was only a day away from a 12 hour drive with a passenger who not only couldn’t help behind the wheel, but was fresh from surgery and needed me to be his hands for the next 6-8 weeks!

What could possibly go wrong? A whole lot apparently! I cried. I thought about staying home. I wondered if God would have stopped me from volunteering to babysit, had I prayed it through first.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 19:21

But I hadn’t prayed first, and I’d given my word. The concert tickets were not cheap, and I was on the hook. I went to pack. My clothes felt, in my coated hands, like microfiber feels on dry skin. Have you felt that? It is cringy like chalk on a chalkboard.

We got a few hours of sleep and went to California. I kept my hands covered for a few days. Eventually I noticed friction knocked little shards of coating away. So, I removed the gloves, and by the end of the week, my hands were almost back to normal.

Our 8-day trip went so well! I had a wonderful weekend with my grandkids and my husband enjoyed spending time with our daughters at the concert. We were glad we hadn’t backed out. But there was one more looming apprehension as we drove home.

Was there a mouse in a trap, ripe and reeking from days of decomposition? Would he have avoided the traps and gotten into the other pantry, making waste of all our food? Or would neither be true, leaving us guessing what he’d do next?

California in the rearview, as the sun set on our trip.

God was gracious to us. The mouse was in the trap. And it did not stink. Given the circumstances, that was the best possible outcome.

What could possibly go wrong? The right answer is, “Any number of things!” My story is a prime example! And I’ve learned a very valuable lesson. I need to take time to pray before I make decisions.

I think people are more apt to ask God before we take a major step, like moving, or getting married. But we tend to think we oversee our schedules. How much better would it be to run our agendas before the One who knows the future?

God is on the throne, watching over His own!

Many things go wrong. That’s life. Some of it is orchestrated to teach us, others we bring on ourselves. This story includes both.

But you know what? God is on the throne, watching over His own. And He is helping us. He may not stop things from going wrong, but He takes the time to teach us through them and make things right again.

Today, my hands are good, my husband is healing, and my kitchen is back in order. Well, we’re going to need to sand and repaint the wall, but it can wait a beat. God is good – All the time – God is good!

Thank you for reading. How are things with you?