Well, yesterday ended on a similar note to how it began. I had a very minor fender bender late yesterday afternoon. I came home, cried, and got on with life. By about 7:30 I retreated to a hot bubble bath and tried to soothe away not only the tension from a day gone awry, but from a heart gone awry.
I had started the day with such a chip on my shoulder. Where it came from, I am unsure. All I know is that it got fed all day long as one thing after another had some sort of snag to it until I was wiped out. All I could do as I soaked in the steamy bath was ask the Lord to cleanse me once again. And again I realized how totally self-absorbed I can be at times. The whole day was all about me. What a waste. What a shame to bring to my Lord.
Today as I began again, I still felt heavy-hearted. Like my heart had gotten scratched, not just my new car. I strove to put it behind me and move ahead. But today, again, was a day of fits and starts. I was on my way to meet my prayer partner when she called me saying she was sick. I went to start my old car to meet my daughter at the dentist and the battery was dead. These are the type of days I just have to step back and say, "Okay, Lord. I stop. I wait on You."
As I did that today, He blessed me in unexpected ways. I took my dog for a walk as usual. The high was around 60 degrees and it was a gorgeous day to be outside. As I strolled up the sidewalk, two little boys around 4 years old stopped in front of me on their little scooters. One was blond with a slight sprinkling of freckles, very talkative. Obviously the leader. The other was dark-haired, dark-eyed, and fairly quiet.
The blond leader asked to pet my dog. Golden retrievers have that affect on both young and old frequently. After my reply, both boys approached Asher to pet him and let him lick their little hands. Then the dark haired boy was off, back to gather his scooter. The blond one proceeded to invite me into his world. "You can get to know me. I live in that house there. My friend lives in this house here. You can know me."
I thanked him, told the boys to have a good day, and moved on with my walk. But the image of the boy and his response stayed with me. When I had told him to have a good day, he said, "I will!" There was no politeness to his reply as we adults are prone to do. No false smile. His was genuine. His joy in his day, with wherever it took him, was complete. He didn't know what the next 15 minutes were going to look like, much less the rest of the day. Yet there was no concern, no weight on his shoulders. He was content.
As I walked, I mulled over his lesson to me. Jesus said we are to come to Him as a little child. I have lost sight of that. I have forgotten how to rest in my Father's care and just let my day unfold as He pleases. After all, He is the one in control. I have also forgotten how to constantly and eagerly invite not only the Lord, but anyone I meet to join me. "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."
Blessings.
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1 comment:
i once heard or read someone say that every once in awhile we find we've let the rope out a little too far for a little too long with our children and we need to tighten it up again ... then she went on to say that that's where she finds herself with God sometimes ... with God needing to tighten her rope a little bit.
yeah. me, too.
what sometimes amazes me on those all-thumbs days is how God uses me anyway ... and i wonder how and why ... and i'm thankful.
your husband commented on my blog, and i discovered you're chris' parents. as i told your husband, i have enjoyed getting to know people of all ages while blogging ... and it's fun getting to know the "kids" who are young enough for me to be their mom. but in the blogging world, i'm not Mrs or their friend's mom, so it's a unique place.
you're a great mom!
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