The Minute Details...
What a busy weekend! I hope you all had a good one as well. I was blessed to be able to help move my daughter and her boyfriend back 'home' (an hour's drive from my house) from Nashville, TN.
Last Thursday I was dreading the weekend. I have a strong dislike for the entire process of moving a household, be it mine or anyone else's. Add to it a 12 hour round-trip drive and I might pull out the H-word. (Hate is a word I try not to use lightly.) I started having anticipatory back pain to such a degree that I had to take medication to get through the day. Not a good sign...
My youngest son, who is a nice, strong, healthy 15-year old, went with me. Not because he has an overt fondness of assisting his siblings in their time of need, but more because he was able to miss a day of school. And yes, he does love his sister...and thinks her boyfriend is pretty awesome as well. I was happy to have some company on the drive down, even if he takes control of the radio and punishes me by playing 'his music'. (Thankfully, he's a country boy.)
In preparation, I spent some extra time in prayer over our trip, asking God for His divine provision in the smallest details. Things like good gas mileage, no flat tires, no break-downs, safe arrival, no physical injuries, alert drivers, the hedge of protection, etc. One thing I failed to pray about was easily accessible restrooms as needed...I have never been on a stretch of highway so desolate and void of restroom facilities as the new corridor of I-69 in southern Indiana. It was a lesson in self (bladder) control and patience.
Oh, and I forgot to pray for long-lasting cell phone batteries.
We arrived in Nashville at bed time...exhausted and ready for sleep. At least I was. In the morning, I woke up to a fresh cup of Starbucks, compliments of my daughter. She knows what makes her momma happy.
I warned my daughter of my back pain and offered to do the cleaning instead of carrying boxes down stairs to the moving truck. She was happy with that, so as boxes and furniture began to disappear from the apartment, I started in the furthest corner, sweeping and wiping down baseboards. In a mere 2 hours the entire contents of their little apartment were loaded up and the place was spotless. As we piled into vehicles to head north, the property manager was pulling in to do the final walk-through with my daughter. We made it six blocks before my teenager needed to be fed.
Traffic was smooth, only a few slow spots. The weather was beautiful. And I was alone in the boyfriend's car...able to listen to some quality public radio. Six blissful hours of listening to whatever I chose. And pray out loud. Giving thanks to God for His goodness and answered prayers.
While my daughter would love to take some credit for being so well prepared, I give total credit to God Almighty for the easiest move I have ever been a part of. And I want to thank my small group sisters for their prayers. God is faithful. And He takes such joy in being asked to participate in the most minute details of our lives. Gas mileage. No flat tires. No break-downs. Minute details.
God revealed Himself to me again and again. He spoke to my heart and shared truth through sites and sounds, things I am excited to share with you. For the sake of keeping this blog from turning into a novel, I will share those things in the days to come...but for today, I want you to think about your prayers and the things we so often pray for.
"Lord, help my son have a good day," could be more effective if we got more specific. "Lord, I come to you with an open heart, asking you to guide the steps of my precious child today. Lord, help him wake up on time, in a good mood, help him to focus and concentrate well on his lessons, Lord. May his belly be full and satisfied at lunch, may his friends speak kindly to him. May he find favor in the eyes of his teachers. Lord, help him to recall the answers to questions, give him confidence and boldness in doing what is right in Your eyes. Father God, protect him mentally, spiritually and physically today and continue to bless him all the days of his life. In the most holy and beautiful name of Jesus I ask these things. Amen!"
Give God something to work with. Give him the details of life. Remember the t-shirts from the '90's: ______________(baseball, football, basketball, etc.) is life...the rest is just details. They had it all wrong. Jesus is life. The rest is just details...and He would love to help us out with them.
Be blessed!!
Last Thursday I was dreading the weekend. I have a strong dislike for the entire process of moving a household, be it mine or anyone else's. Add to it a 12 hour round-trip drive and I might pull out the H-word. (Hate is a word I try not to use lightly.) I started having anticipatory back pain to such a degree that I had to take medication to get through the day. Not a good sign...
My youngest son, who is a nice, strong, healthy 15-year old, went with me. Not because he has an overt fondness of assisting his siblings in their time of need, but more because he was able to miss a day of school. And yes, he does love his sister...and thinks her boyfriend is pretty awesome as well. I was happy to have some company on the drive down, even if he takes control of the radio and punishes me by playing 'his music'. (Thankfully, he's a country boy.)
In preparation, I spent some extra time in prayer over our trip, asking God for His divine provision in the smallest details. Things like good gas mileage, no flat tires, no break-downs, safe arrival, no physical injuries, alert drivers, the hedge of protection, etc. One thing I failed to pray about was easily accessible restrooms as needed...I have never been on a stretch of highway so desolate and void of restroom facilities as the new corridor of I-69 in southern Indiana. It was a lesson in self (bladder) control and patience.
Oh, and I forgot to pray for long-lasting cell phone batteries.
We arrived in Nashville at bed time...exhausted and ready for sleep. At least I was. In the morning, I woke up to a fresh cup of Starbucks, compliments of my daughter. She knows what makes her momma happy. I warned my daughter of my back pain and offered to do the cleaning instead of carrying boxes down stairs to the moving truck. She was happy with that, so as boxes and furniture began to disappear from the apartment, I started in the furthest corner, sweeping and wiping down baseboards. In a mere 2 hours the entire contents of their little apartment were loaded up and the place was spotless. As we piled into vehicles to head north, the property manager was pulling in to do the final walk-through with my daughter. We made it six blocks before my teenager needed to be fed. Traffic was smooth, only a few slow spots. The weather was beautiful. And I was alone in the boyfriend's car...able to listen to some quality public radio. Six blissful hours of listening to whatever I chose. And pray out loud. Giving thanks to God for His goodness and answered prayers.
While my daughter would love to take some credit for being so well prepared, I give total credit to God Almighty for the easiest move I have ever been a part of. And I want to thank my small group sisters for their prayers. God is faithful. And He takes such joy in being asked to participate in the most minute details of our lives. Gas mileage. No flat tires. No break-downs. Minute details.
God revealed Himself to me again and again. He spoke to my heart and shared truth through sites and sounds, things I am excited to share with you. For the sake of keeping this blog from turning into a novel, I will share those things in the days to come...but for today, I want you to think about your prayers and the things we so often pray for.
"Lord, help my son have a good day," could be more effective if we got more specific. "Lord, I come to you with an open heart, asking you to guide the steps of my precious child today. Lord, help him wake up on time, in a good mood, help him to focus and concentrate well on his lessons, Lord. May his belly be full and satisfied at lunch, may his friends speak kindly to him. May he find favor in the eyes of his teachers. Lord, help him to recall the answers to questions, give him confidence and boldness in doing what is right in Your eyes. Father God, protect him mentally, spiritually and physically today and continue to bless him all the days of his life. In the most holy and beautiful name of Jesus I ask these things. Amen!"Give God something to work with. Give him the details of life. Remember the t-shirts from the '90's: ______________(baseball, football, basketball, etc.) is life...the rest is just details. They had it all wrong. Jesus is life. The rest is just details...and He would love to help us out with them.
Be blessed!!
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