Out of the mouths of moms...

If you're a parent, maybe you recognize this feeling... where you are saying something directly to your children & God brings it right back to you for your Parent/child relationship with Him! It happened again today for me...

Earlier, I was in the kitchen with my little ones, ready to bake a batch of cookies. Typical of their demeanors lately... they were vying for 'top spot' every step of the way. Not in anyway new to the world... just our season to go through it.

So, here we are... trying to negotiate who will perform each step of the recipe... and I'm getting more weary of this 'fun' project by the second. My oldest keeps trying to jump ahead & "take care" of things before I instruct her to. I'm glad that she's at an age where she can anticipate what's next, but she's not mature enough yet to appreciate that I have a bigger plan. I want to include her little brother in key steps that he can manage alone. So, I say something like... "Please just wait for the instructions I give you. Don't get ahead of me."

There was remark #1 that caught my attention. So, now I'm thinking... do I try to 'jump ahead' of God because I'm convinced I know what's coming next? Do I miss out on His perfect plan, because all I can think about is the one I have? Perhaps I do. Maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

And, then there's my son's issue the whole time we're working:
"What about me????" .... "Can I do that?" .... "What can I do?" .... "I wanted to do that!"

He was so focused on "winning" the next job, he wasn't enjoying the things he was getting to do. I looked him squarely in the eyes and said something like... "You are getting turns & you will have a few more... will you just trust me, please?

And, that was point #2 to consider... Am I so focused on what I want, that I'm not trusting that God will provide His best, in His time? Or... am I so wrapped up in getting that next thing... that I'm not enjoying what I have been given right now? Perhaps that apple doesn't fall far from the tree, either.

And, lest I decide to ignore these lessons & chalk them up as just random thoughts... here's one from a few days ago:

(me, to my kids:) If I am speaking to you, please stop what you're doing and pay attention!

(God, immediately inside my heart:) This is true for you, too, you know!

Don't miss the "little things"...

This morning, as we got into the car for some errands, I was working on a seriously bad attitude. Absolutely nothing significant, but a quick string of frustrations had gotten the best of me in a matter of moments & I was feeling pretty short-tempered. Funny how quickly that can happen, huh?

So, I'm wallowing in this attitude stew... feeling it take over inside. That feeling where you know it's a bad attitude, but you seem powerless to stop it. I turn on the radio... sure enough, the song is annoying. Really... annoying! I change the channel... and here's what I hear...

And I want you to know

That I'm not letting go

Even when you come undone

I've heard this song many times (Matthew West's "More")... it's a catchy tune, but I haven't really focused on the words. That word "undone" ... it caught my FULL attention! Even though it had come on quickly & was really due to nothing important... in that moment, "undone" seemed like a perfect description of my state of mind. So, as I focused on the words more intently... here's how it continues:

I love you more than the sun

And the stars that I taught how to shine

You are mine, and you shine for me too

I love you yesterday and today

And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again

I love you more

I love you more

Shine for Me, Shine for Me

(the chorus repeats & finishes with...)

And I see you

And I made you

And I love you more than you can imagine

More than you can fathom

I love you more than the sun

And you shine for me

There are so many lessons I could draw from this ‘little’ experience and what a great illustration it is for a study I am currently doing... but what is impressed upon me most is this:

In a seemingly insignificant, "little" moment of my day... My God ~Creator of the universe, All-Knowing & Infinite~ chose to reach into my physical world, speaking words of love & encouragement. And, He did so in a moment I was so acutely undeserving of it.

He spoke to me.

"Little thing"? Hardly!

Verging...

On the verge of something... that feeling has been with me for a season now. In the sense that something is on the horizon.... coming up, on the way. Not something I've really put words to, but I've grown familiar with it's presence within my spirit. Some days it's very strong, others just a quiet whisper.

Today, as I sat down here to type - the feeling was strong and the words 'on the verge' began to roll around in my thoughts. I wanted a better context for the word, so I looked up the official definition. Just as I was thinking, I saw that it conveys the idea of an edge or rim.... on the brink of something about to occur.

But, I also noticed a different meaning that caught me off guard:
“to be in the process of becoming something else” (italics mine)

Verging. Very intriguing! And maybe a bit scary, too, if I'm honest... especially (extremely so, even?) for a word dropped into your lap, spiritually speaking.

You know, we can get pretty comfortable with “this”.

“Something else”... especially a “something else” you can’t see... that can bring up a little fear.

Reminds me of the song by Sanctus Real... Whatever You’re Doing...

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

For me, I think that really says where I’m at spiritually... where I’ve been for a while. I feel like God has brought me to the brink of something that I can’t see, and He is patiently waiting for my surrender to it... or, more accurately... to Him.

Until then... I remain on the verge... of verging.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)