At Just The Right Time

Ever have a conversation, read a story, hear a song, or listen to something that totally fits your need at the moment? One that really pegs you right where you are at - at that particular moment? It's one of those times that you say "that's just what I needed."

I had one of those days. I have to say that as we headed to church this morning (after an uneventful/easy prep time) I sipped on my coffee thinking about how tired I was and how many things I needed to accomplish. After enjoying the singing/worship time I settled in to hear a good message. It was good, as usual. But I battled tired eyes. If I could listen with my eyes closed, the fight wasn't so bad, but then I feared falling asleep. So the battle went on. Heard good things despite of myself.

I grabbed a cup of coffee, guzzled it down and headed into Bible study. Great, hubby picked the front row. What's up with that? Better not have sleepy eyes now. Pastor picks people to read verses for the group and goes down - you guessed it - the front row. Thanks Andy for picking the front row.

What I didn't expect and wasn't prepared for, were the words I needed to hear, the ones that challenged my complaints, provided answers, and gave so many reasons to be thankful.

It's been a rough last week breaking into the new routine of working lots, keeping up with kids, and Andy in school. I was worn and raw. Everything seemed hard and like too much work. I started a million things, and few were getting done. I found myself resenting the process "I" was having to go through, what "I" was losing out on, what "I" wanted that "I" wasn't getting...

There's that troublesome "I" again. "I" realized what a gift it is that I have 3 part-time jobs/projects. So many in MI don't have any job. "I" saw God providing for our needs through jobs, state health care for my kids, loan checks coming through, and so many people generously helping us with childcare/encouragement etc. "I" saw all the people that we were meeting, all the opportunities to form new relationships and share with them what God is doing in our lives. "I" saw that "I" was the problem -- not our situation. "I" can't do this on my own, and no one is asking me to. God has blessed me with so many willing to help and share this journey. God has promised that I'll never be alone, and He won't give me more than I can bear in His strength.

After church we splurged on Chinese for lunch with friends. It was a breathe of fresh air to do something fun, to connect with others. After an un-anticipated afternoon nap I was surprised with a knock at the door with Teresa standing on the other side. After prompting to stay for dinner - she agreed and we chatted in between kid interruptions, ate a great steak/mashed potato/beans/salad dinner. Kids played, discovered snakes, and before we knew it, it was 8:30. Had no idea where the evening had gone.

So now it's 2 AM and I'm still typing. The nap always does this too me. However, it's amazing how productive one can be in the silence of the night.

So here's to a new week, filled with potential and possibilities... and more importantly, purpose.