Day 2 – Deep Fryer Disasters and Facepalms

When I was eighteen, my parents went on their first vacation together, and my brother and I got to stay home. We felt so grown-up! Of course, within a week, the grocery money was gone, the whole house reeked of deep fryer oil, and we almost forgot what a shower was for.

The day before my parents came back, we decided it was time for action. We did twenty loads of laundry, strung clotheslines all over the attic, tackled the dishes, fired up the vacuum cleaner… but no matter how hard we worked, it just didn’t get truly clean.

I still remember the look on my father’s face when he walked through the door. Fresh off the plane, his heart full of vacation stories, with a big smile on his face. Until he saw the house. What a disaster. His smile disappeared, and I swear his shoulders dropped a couple of inches.

I imagine that Jesus felt a bit like that when He came down the mountain after His transfiguration. Up there, everything was heavenly. But down below, chaos was waiting: a boy in desperate need, disciples who just didn’t get it. You can almost picture Jesus doing a facepalm and saying, “Can’t I leave you alone for one moment?!”

Things got sorted out between my dad and us—after we scrubbed and cleaned every inch of the house. Things also got sorted out between Jesus and His disciples. Despite His disappointment, He healed the boy and continued teaching them.

That’s what I think is so remarkable about Jesus. He might express frustration, but He always follows it up by showing who He truly is and how much He loves us. Like with those two disciples on the road to Emmaus, after His resurrection. At first, they didn’t even recognize Him. During their conversation, Jesus suddenly says, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe!” But just a little later, He opens their eyes. They see who He is.

When was the last time you had a facepalm moment with God? A moment where you thought, “He must be so disappointed in me that it’s beyond repair.” Today, I invite you to face that moment and bring it honestly before God. That’s when you’ll discover God’s hand is not a facepalm of frustration, but a palm of love, stretched out to protect you.