the driveway
Sometimes we sit in the car. It’s not because the car is comfortable, or because it feels better than the house. I really don’t know what it is. Sometimes I think it’s because I am overwhelmed by what’s inside the walls, and I’m not ready to deal with it when I pull into the driveway.
Today I needed a quiet place to run through and time a presentation. I tried twice in my room, and then I had to run one of the girls down the street, so I took the long way home, but the drive was shorter than my talk, so I was finishing up when the kids found me in the driveway and piled into the car.
They’re everywhere.
It’s hard to have people everywhere all the time. I used to get resentful about it. There were days when I counted up the years before I could have my husband and my house to myself. Maybe it was because it felt so far away. Or it could have been because as you age, you begin to appreciate what really matters. Maybe I just stopped grumbling and started being thankful. Whatever it was, these days I often find myself drinking in the moments when my people are all around me. It fills my heart with joy to hear my family interacting. There’s so much laughter and conversation, I feel like the richest girl in the world, even though I still buy the cheapest toilet paper. My favorite moments are when they all break out into song together, and they know every word to some random movie track.
Perspective is so critical to surviving your life. The Bible offers a wealth of wisdom in these things. Stop grumbling. Be thankful. Give cheerfully. If someone asks you for something, give him even more than he requested. Be slow to anger. Let your gentleness be evident to all. These are the keys to a rich and satisfying life! But all of it is in vain, if your love for God isn’t fueling it.
“And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”
1 Corinthians 13:3 NASB1995
It is all about perspective, so true.
ReplyDelete