My Burden Lifter

My only sister, who I love dearly and haven't seen for almost three years, just spent ten days with me. It was such a morale booster to have her here. Even though I was in the same house, caregiving for the same man, it just didn't seem as daunting a task while she was here. And it wasn't because she took over my housekeeping or caregiving. She helped, yes, but I probably ended up doing the same amount of work. It was only her presence that somehow made the work seem lighter.

In the same vein, Jesus has promised to make our burdens lighter by just welcoming His presence into our lives. We still have the same cares of life to worry about, but they seem more bearable, because Jesus is there to share them. I should be as happy about Jesus visiting this household as I was to have my sister for awhile.

It was difficult to say good-bye to her at the airport. But the nice part about God's visit is that He never leaves. And He's the Visitor you don't want to let go. Just like my sister.

Wiggling Out

I'm beginning to experience blog withdrawals--two nights in a row I've missed posting on this blog. But they have been busy nights. Friday night we were at a friend's house for a little Christian fellowship and last night I babysat again for my daughter so she could have her "date night" out with my son-in-law.

This time babysitting, I faced a real dilemma. Instead of just Julia, the two-year-old falling asleep in my lap, Jenna, the almost-four-year-old, fell asleep there too. I thought I was going to have to sit frozen under this "iceberg" of heavy toddlers until the mommy/daddy couple returned. But just before they walked in the door, I had managed to wiggle out from under the sleeping masses, leaving them still asleep in two bulky heaps. One in the chair and the other on the floor.

This reminded me of all the times when I thought I'd never manage to wiggle out of a difficulty, only to find that when I got the courage to wiggle a little, the Lord helped unload those burdens gracefully and almost effortlessly. God sees our struggles, but most importantly we have to see that He's nearby. And He'll be walking through the door to rescue us fully, much sooner than we expect.

"Big Sister" God

I feel blessed to be the mother that lives closest to our daughter's family. That has meant that a good share of their laundry gets done at my house. Kayla and the two little granddaughters were here today to do a couple of loads, so I got the pleasure of playing with them most of the afternoon.

Jenna, the three-year-old, has quite the imagination and a lot of her play is "pretend shopping and/or doctor visits." It amazes me, the things she comes up with on our pretend excursions. Her baby doll did a lot of vomiting and running of the nose today. Little sister Julia, on the other hand, mostly follows big sister around to make sure she gets to be part of the action, but passionately hangs on to her dolls so they stay in her possession and don't get "kidnapped" by big sister.

Interestingly enough, I have found myself "following God around," yet vigorously protecting some aspect of my life. Holding onto it desperately, trying to prevent God from snatching it away from me. Things I have been attached to include pride, grief, guilt, and anger. I've noticed though that the only time God tries to take them away are when they become too heavy to bear. Then like a big sister, God intervenes. Well, gently intervenes, not totally like big sister.