Finding God in the Everyday: Baby Steps

Mom, Dad, baby. Typical family, right? Think again. Let's try: Mom, Dad, 5 kids. Grandma. Grandpa. Family friends family--Mom, Dad, baby. Single family friend currently in between places. 2 dogs. 30 bazillion fish. 1 house.

That's where I'm at.

Until I find an apartment, this ragtag bunch of hooligans has become my second family. And I love them. While at times the noise level becomes obnoxious, the unnaturalness of my living situation begins to feel unnatural, and my homesickness becomes unbearable, God still manages to show himself.

Sigh. Sometime I wish He'd shout what He wants me to hear. Maybe then I would listen and understand fully.

But no. We worship a poetic God--one who prefers to reveal himself in whispers and in life played out before us.

Zack. The cutest one-year-old ever. God has a knack for showing me himself to me through him often. Not too long ago, Zack learned to walk. And while Zack is a good walk-er, he still takes a tumble every now and then. Therefore, Ryan (Zack's dad) keeps a careful eye on him and follows him closely wherever he goes.

If Zack falls down, Ryan will pick him up again. If Zack wants to climb the stairs, Ryan will help him along and teach him how to do it. And if Zack cries, Ryan is there to wipe away his tears.

As I witness this scenario often, God sweetly reminds me that I am like Zack and He is like Ryan. I am learning to walk on my own in this crazy world and learning to take those first scary baby steps on my own. And even though often it feels like I'm alone in this, He whispers to me that He's there, following closely behind. I'm never truly alone.

He's there to pick me up when I fall down. He's there to teach me how to navigate the dangerous spots. And He's there to wipe away my tears.

But He's also there to share in my victories and to cheer me on when things get tough.

And one day, when I can walk strong on my own, He'll be there too--still guiding me, cheering me forward, and whispering "I love you" into my baby ears.

Because really, I will always need my daddy.

Finding God in the Everyday: Of Toes & Dust

Sunshine beckons. Caffeine calls. "Coffee first," I think. Isn't it funny how God can be found in the mundane? Thank you, Jesus, for cream and sugar. Right foot. Left foot. Coffee cup. Front porch. Rocking chair. First sip, then leaning back, I take a seat in the presence of cricket, birch tree, dust, and God.

How much like the dust I am. Like the dust, I am small, seemingly insignificant, but somehow recognized. Yet unlike the dust, I am welcome to be present, not swept and discarded by an impatient Hand off the Glory Seat of heaven.

Second sip. Drawing knees to chest, I am humbled by the wind in the trees and the streaks of sunshine dancing across my toes. Toes. What a funny thing. They look funny. They sometimes even smell funny. I am, actually, embarrassed by my toes. But sometimes, it's the smallest things that make the greatest impact. Without toes, we wouldn't be able to walk. They give us balance.

Am I more like a toe or the dust? Sometimes I feel like the dust--small. Insignificant. Sometimes I feel like a toe--ugly. A cause for embarrassment. But God is teaching me to be happy in my dusty, toe-like self...completely welcome and loved, and important to the Kingdom.

Third sip. Toes and dust. Who would have thought.