There's an uninvited guest in my house, an invisible something-or-other named
"Huh?" It seems the sole purpose of this creature is to harass us and make the
children seem less than innocent.
The other day I told my son, David, to get all his toys out of the living room. I later
walked into the room and discovered a Ninja Turtle toy reclining on the sofa, its little
sword ready to surprise any adult who should sit down.
"David!" I shouted. "Who left this toy on the sofa?"
"Huh?" he answered.
"You were supposed to put away all your things," I said, clearly
emphasizing the "all."
"But I did."
He was absolutely, positively and most assuredly sure he did.
"So how did it get here?" I demanded.
"Huh?"
On another day I found empty candy wrappers on my daughter Tammy's closet floor.
"How did these get here?" I asked her.
"Huh?"
"Don't blame Huh? for this," I said intelligently. "You ate candy when
you weren't supposed to, didn't you?"
"Not me!"
"Then who?"
"Huh?"
Huh? also tries to get my husband in trouble.
"Dear," I've said on numerous occasions in a tone which rarely implied that I
think he's a dear. "Did you put up the new window blinds in the kids' rooms
yet?"
"Huh?"
"No, I'm not asking Huh?" If I had asked Huh?, the blinds would have been up
long ago. Huh?'s the busiest member of this family.
Of course, Huh? never does anything to get me in trouble. Huh? harasses me
plenty through the others. If I could see this Huh?, I suspect Huh?'s face would embarrass
me. I'd see in it all the times I said "huh?" to my own parents when I was a
child. Hey, my folks probably sent Huh? to me as a wedding and get-even gift. That means
there's hope for getting rid of Huh? when my children grow up.
Sometimes I think Huh? interferes with God's work. It's crossed my mind that when I
rely on a promise of God, maybe it's Huh?'s fault my prayers sometimes only partially get
answered. Maybe Huh? is sabotaging God's involvement in my life to make the Lord seem less
than helpful.
Take as a for instance God's promise that all things work together for good for those
who love the Lord (Romans 8:28-huh?). There have been times when I've asked for God's help
cleaning up a mess in my life, and good has come out of all but one part of it. One little
incident keeps jabbing me when I sit on it.
"Why didn't God fix this up, too?" I ask. "Huh?"
Giving up on God, I clean it up myself. And before long I realize I've learned
Something Important from doing it. Hey, perhaps God had planned it this way!
Come to think of it, God's promises can never be broken -- as long as He's in charge --
because His Word is always true, such as His promise that "greater is He who is
within me than Huh?"
Now my husband's peering over my shoulder and asking who's going to make dinner.
"Huh?" I reply.
No such luck. Huh? doesn't cook.
