"Mama, are cookies omavores?" "Um, omnivores eat cookies."
"Oh, [Baby Girl] doesn't want to be an omnivore anymore," said Little Man, skittering off with a bag of cookies.
*** "I'm so glad I'm a mammal. Because horses are mammals, too." - Baby Girl, reminding me that animal classification is one of the oft-forgotten thankfulnesses of this sweet life.
If they were butterflies, I'd want to pin them in an archival frame: Little Man's dimples, pursed smile as he calculates a climb to the pantry shelf to get the chocolate chip container. "Just one, mama," and upon opening it, "Just a few."
The morning January light--the pale, farm fresh eggshell white
Reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Dinner with my littles, which involves someone getting up from the table every 2 minutes
"We were talking our heads off," said Baby Girl, about her gal pal date to paint-your-own-pottery
The old man asking me what LinkedIn was
Stressing at the roller-rink because I was solo parenting and the single mom consoling me
Paying a heavy penance for sulking over my mom's clothing purchases for me as a tween as I console a bawling daughter over my unacceptable purchase(s) for her wardrobe
The assuring sound of Loverpants' scooter buzzing up the driveway, once again safely home
Car-dancing to Uptown Funk
Loverpants doing yoga in the living room
Taking grading breaks with another Vivianna makeup tutorial
Watching all the old timey movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime
Monday Morning QB-ing about "Serial" with the internets
Getting schooled in millennialism by Olaore, Garrison via text
Praying circles around my kids and our famiLee with a whole new purpose, or at least wanting a clearer purpose
I listen to a good number of Christian contemporary music artists. Casting Crowns, Shawn McDonald, Hillsong, anyone? Their epic Jesus-y ballads score my workouts and car rides and grading sessions. And sometimes, I get a little lazy about it all.
It's not the musicians' or the music's fault. It's my own reliance on their worship as my own.
While romping through the woods solo yesterday, earphones scoring the hike per usual, I had to stop and question what I was doing. I was hiking uphill and working up a sweat and pumping endorphins and I was still being so lazy.
[tweet bird="yes"]I pulled the plug on the portrait of God that was being drawn by someone else.[/tweet]
I asked myself, is God really a Reckless Forgiver? A Lover of My Soul? Is He Not Dead but Surely Alive? These words were inspired by other believers whom I assume are in close relationship with Jesus. But am I trusting too much in the character that has been revealed to them and, basically, taking their word for it?
I began to think about the very specific ways God has revealed Himself to me recently: - God was with me when an elder handed me diet pills across the dining room table. He gave me the patience and the words to be loving, to show His character, even when I was insulted and in distress. (1 Cor 10:13) - He is so gentle in the faces and chubby hands of my kids who love me in spite of all of my intemperate streaks (Romans 2:4)
Those are just a couple of examples. I'm struck when I think how Solomon tells us that there is nothing new under the sun, and then we turn right around and read in Isaiah how God will do a new thing.
I just don't want to underestimate, underexpect, undervalue the newness and the freshness and the total specificity of God. In all His glory, He reaches down to earth and shows His care in such awesome and totally relevant ways, to our own unique and often crappy situations, crappy situations of our own making.
Friends, I just want to have eyes that will see and ears that will hear everything He is doing, not relying on someone else to tell me, or sing an epic ballad about it. I realize more and more this requires being present and showing up even when I want to be a lazeabout.
None of this is new under the sun, but His blessings are new every morning.
***
My intention for this spring semester is to show up to my devotion time even when I don't feel like it, even when I have every excuse not to show up. Have you set an intention for the new year or new semester or new season of life? Feel free to link up a post or share below!
