Good morning…
As I was sipping on coffee and writing our devotional message this morning, our twenty-six year old son came downstairs and climbed into our king-sized bed beside me and our dogs. With his acting up car still sitting at the mechanic’s shop nearby, he unexpectedly spent the night at home. A few minutes later, coming upstairs from the basement bedroom where she is living before heading to grad school, our twenty-four year old daughter also snuggled into our oversized bed.
For an unplanned thirty minutes, the three of us tactfully tackled many of life’s most crucial questions. How do we know if a sense of heightened interest is from God or from my own human desires? It’s easier to ignore our tangle of mixed emotions, but how will we ever unravel into our true selves if we close off our hearts? How are we supposed to live each day without clear answers, struggling through pockets of restless anxiety on our way to a place of peace?
What a delightful disruption of my to do list today.
Be ready to spread the word whether or not the time is right. Point out errors, warn people, and encourage them. Be very patient when you teach.
A time will come when people will not listen to accurate teachings. Instead, they will follow their own desires and surround themselves with teachers who tell them what they want to hear. People will refuse to listen to the truth and turn to myths.
But you must keep a clear head in everything. Endure suffering. Do the work of a missionary. Devote yourself completely to your work (2 Timothy 4:2-5, GW).
God taught our kids as God taught me, and the Holy Spirit’s wisdom grew thick between us. Together we discerned that investing honest, intentional time with the LORD is our only way to be guided forward into the unplanned unknown. It is through our personal wrestling matches with God that we discover who we are and how we are designed to proceed. Sorting through every emotion, every thought, every inkling in our jumbled up hearts, we are strengthened to peacefully live into whatever pathway opens before us.
“Do you think your children are finally becoming adults?” our daughter chuckled as she returned later for a pair of her newly laundered socks.
Yes. Our four unique children are finally becoming incredible adults, and I feel so grateful God is growing me in unexpected ways as their one-of-a-kind mom. Somehow it feels like my Mother’s Day gift 2021 just arrived a few days early.
…Sue…
