Have you ever been distracted for an instant, and then made a big mess of things?

It was the funniest thing. I was making whipping cream for pumpkin pie while everyone sat at the table after dinner waiting. We had recently bought one of those handheld whirly-gizmos that whip small quantities, and I decided this was the perfect time to try it out.

So, I poured a cup of whipping cream into the plastic quart container that came with the contraption, and started whipping away. The liquid swirled around wildly, and I made all kinds of noise, which was fun, but after a while the cream started to thicken and the quart container began to turn. I grabbed onto it with my left hand to keep it from rocketing off the counter into outer space.

When the cream got really thick, someone struck up a conversation with me from the table and I temporarily lost track of what I was doing. My left hand loosened its grip, and wham-o the container whirled around at warp speed spewing white stuff all over the kitchen! At first, this was not funny. But the mess was so huge, what can you do but laugh! The family was beside themselves in hilarity. And our daughter had to take a picture.

It was their idea to blog this moment of embarrassment, not mine. But after thinking on the episode, there was an important spiritual lesson to remember.

Don’t lose focus at critical moments!

There are critical moments in tennis, like serving, returning the serve, and hitting the ball accurately. When you’re standing on the court waiting, moments aren’t so crucial. But certain moments in play are extremely critical to the outcome of the game.

When driving a car, some moments are more critical than others. What you’re thinking while idling at a stop sign is probably not as critical as what you’re paying attention to when driving through a busy intersection.

What about prayer and healing? Are some moments more critical than others? Every moment of prayer is equally valuable in moving us toward our final demonstration, but some moments can feel tougher to get through than others.

More than once, I’ve felt on the verge of accomplishing a significant goal, and the tempter starts to work overtime to get me to stop or give up. Those are the moments you don’t want to lose your grip! If you let go, everything whirls out of control and you feel helpless.

Like the time I told my dad I didn’t want to farm anymore because it wasn’t the life for me. He got so upset that I lost my grip. I caved to his pressure to stay. I recanted everything I said, and told him that I would stay with the family farming business and that he didn’t need to worry about me. I would be okay.

I lied about the “I would be okay,” part. My life felt whirling out of control. It was not okay. It took me two more years to get my grip back and tell him with finality that I had to move on.

The second time, I did not lose my grip! And he accepted my verdict.

There are crucial moments when we need to pay special attention to the activity before us in order to succeed. Prayer is not an exception. When the “cream gets thick,” it is not time to let go! If you do, you might have a mess to clean up. Grip harder at the crucial moments and hold on tight until the whipping is done. It’s a lot easier that way!