Yesterday morning we had a babysitter arrive at 8am so we could have a work day at our old house. After 17 months of vacancy, it was in need of a deep clean. (And all my talk of purging the children's things convicted me of the treasures that have been out of sight and out of mind in the garage at our former home!) My husband & I worked together for 5 hours, tackling the challenge. It felt great to work hard and really make progress without the interruptions of little people.
The remainder of our day (with the children) was low key and normal. We went to a birthday party for a friend of my husband's, made a trip to Wal-mart, had dinner...very normal life stuff. As I was laying in bed last night I felt so content, very happy and extremely fulfilled. I commented to my husband that it was times like this that made me want to seal my family up in a bubble and get away from the rest of the world.
Sure, I am happy to serve the needy and be involved in the community--but all the social 'stuff' (gossip, competition, etc...) just makes me cranky. My home and my family are a sanctuary (most of the time).
I spent a little time praying about my thoughts and asking God to help me hold this all in the right balance. I love that my family is a safe place to nurture and be nurtured, to grow in love...but I know it cannot replace running to my Lord for my restoration. I am also reminded that the purpose of being restored is to be better able to leave that place to go and serve and love those around us with renewed strength.
My 7th grade Algebra teacher, a 78 year old nun named Sister Marie-Inez had a poster in her classroom that said: "A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." (quote attributed to John Shedd)
As I invest in the lives of my family, I pray I remember that in many ways the Lord has entrusted me with the task of ship building. May I never forget their ultimate purpose is not to stay in the safety of the harbor, but, instead to go out into the world strong and ready for whatever may come.
A most appropriate reminder as the beginning of school rapidly approaches.
2 comments:
My childhood was anything but stable, so....
When my children were little, I was convinced if I could keep them in the same house, go all the way through the same schools, stay at the same church...well, that would bring them stability, right?
Then real life with all its changes and unexpected turns happened. What the Lord spoke so clearly to my heart was, "Life is not about STABILITY...it is about giving your children the ABILITY to make the changes successfully." They are grown and gone and life continues to "happen" to them. They are masters of change now. Because they know He is the Master of the changes.
I already emailed you this, but don't forget that little things make a huge difference in this world. You make a difference to those of us who read your blog every day. You encourage us, the Lord uses you to hammer home lessons he is trying to teach us. I can't tell you how many times I've been dealing with something in my life and have come here just to read and your post is about exactly what He's been trying to teach me. You have a ministry right here. Don't ever forget how much you do for the Lord here in this little space.
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