“Mom!” she yells. “Why are you turning around?”
“There’s a sign back there. I want to take a picture of it. For my blog.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
And for once. For once! She doesn’t press. ‘Because’ is enough of an answer. I thank the Lord for this small mercy.
I don’t know how I could explain it to her anyway….The many reasons why I called her grandmother yesterday, just because I needed my own mom for a few moments…
When I dialed Mom in Florida I looked at the clock and assumed I’d need 10 minutes to vent – to really get it all out. Ten turned into 30, and Mom listened patiently – to all the ways the state of the world had gotten me down. She offered only words of encouragement, a tiny bit of advice, and the gentle reminder that, “The devil loves to see us stewing in anger.”
Deep sigh…I know. I KNOW. And don’t our moms often tell us the truth? Whether we really want to hear it or not?
And then later I see a sign. Literally. A SIGN. Telling me again that all the things I vented to my mom about are just BUMPS. Bumps. And I have been forewarned.
This world is not perfect. And it will continually disappoint me because I was not made for it. I was made for more.
I crave the purity and loveliness of the One in Whom there are no imperfections. And so no matter what might fall or spring up in my path today, I must keep my eyes on eternity and on Him whose perfect sacrifice has washed me clean from the ugliness I loathe in myself and others.
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
– John 16:33
Look again at this photo. On the left there’s a father with his child on his shoulders. Dad carries the weary child, and from the new vantage point, the child can see a bit farther. It’s exactly the way my Father in Heaven wants to carry me. And you.
