I spent the last couple days licking some wounds....of hurt feelings, feeling displaced, being disappointed and just a dose of plain 'ol sad. I was on my way to meet a group of ladies that I was hoping to connect with and just so stinkin' excited about meeting some others of my kind (being surrounded by kids all day just makes me crave adult fellowship sometimes!) and I was blaring some of my recent favorite songs. But on the way home, I just couldn't help it.... my eyes were wet (let me be clear, this is not a criticism of the ladies...I just didn't find that soul friend). And I had a hard time whispering a single sentence....yet I knew that in a way, that was wrong. I have sang lyrics so often about praising in the good and bad and yet, in this small moment of disappointment I couldn't utter a single word. I felt a bit petty. As the songs continued to play, these lyrics grabbed me: from Psalm 103.... "Praise the Lord, O my soul....Don't forget His love...who forgives all your sin...crowns you with His love...who satisfies your desires with good and lovely things..." And then slowly I was able to sing a few words as I entered our neighborhood.
The night also made me think of something that I've tried to balance for a while: being Present in the moment yet living for eternity. How to be so fully in the here and now, yet invest in things of eternal worth. I didn't know how these two things were related, but for some reason God connected these things for me.
36 hours after this evening, I went to another meeting with some ladies and wouldn't you know, I found a friend! How do I know she's a friend, you say? Because we met in the morning and had dinner with them in our home less than 12 hours later....and it wasn't in the least bit weird! What a Praise.... "He satisfies your desires with good and lovely things..."
And I found another praise regarding moving....from pits to praise: when you move to an unfamiliar place, everything is NEW. This means we can explore our neighborhood with the kiddos and it is truly fun! We went on an outing this morning...my husband pushed the two littles, while I ran with the older two who were on their bikes. As I was running alongside and between them, I was constantly reminding them - stay on this side, don't go into the soft dirt, move over and watch out for that car, pedal a little faster so we can catch up, slow down so you don't run over his heels.... In that moment God clearly showed me what is was to be fully present and investing in eternity.
I had to be fully present with my two older kids as they rode to keep them safe and guide them along the route....and as I was doing that I was investing in eternity...relationships with my kids. Conversing with them..encouraging with them...instructing them...as they kept pedaling forward and then finally back to our familiar home.
I'm in awe of how God shows me how real He is in my life - from the pits of moving to praising Him for new friends and learning how to be present yet investing at the same time. I'm always sure that all this may only make sense to me, but I hope it encourages others!
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