The kids and I have been discussing Abraham and Sarah at breakfast over the past couple weeks. Today we walked into our Sunday School, and guess what was on the board for discussion? Right - Abraham and Sarah. More specifically - God's promise to Abraham and Sarah.
Isaac means laughter. Before I knew that God actually named Isaac, I thought it was an inside joke between married folk. If you're not familiar with the story, Sarah laughed a bit sarcastically when she was informed that she would become a Mama for the first time at nearly a century old. I get it. I'm afraid I'd probably have responded in exactly the same way.
Did you know that Abraham laughed too? He laughed a wonder-filled, joyful laugh. Until this morning, I either passed over those verses too quickly or I just never really read them. At any rate, I didn't get it.
Did you know that Abraham laughed too? He laughed a wonder-filled, joyful laugh. Until this morning, I either passed over those verses too quickly or I just never really read them. At any rate, I didn't get it.
Something clicked into place in my heart this morning. I wanted to jump up and laugh out loud for a really long time. Instead I just sat there with a gigantic grin on my face for the rest of class. God and Abraham were friends and God told Abraham to name his long-awaited son Isaac - Laughter! The whole covenant that has remained unbroken over millennia began with LAUGHTER!
The last couple weeks I've been struggling with the realization that I'm just a big fat grumpy-frump with my kids. And bless their hearts - they have to spend all day every day with grumpy-frump Mama. I've been asking God to help me with that... when Jonathan has energy shooting out of the ends of his hair and has to punch and kick everything, and has to fall backward in his chair for effect, and stomps on my foot, purely by accident, or gives me a huge hug that feels more like a strangle hold... when Melanie reverts back to all those stages she missed laying in a hospital bed, and she starts squeezing the liquid out of her used pull up (Eeewww!), and cutting holes in the crotch of her PJs with her kid scissors.
What gets me is that I'm laughing like a hyena remembering those moments. But in those moments, I was most likely screaming like a banshee.
A free deep freezer came to us this week. Someone just needed to get rid of it. It was sitting in a garage less than five minutes from our house.
We've been grappling a bit with finances. That's a common struggle right after a move. We're not hurting. We're just trying to get it right. It nearly always takes several months to fall into place.
That free freezer will free up funds. A deep freezer has been on my heart for months, but we just haven't felt like we should buy one right away. We've had more pressing priorities for our money.
How does God provide exactly what we need at exactly the right time? How does he know our hearts? Why did he establish a serious covenant with a fallen people? Why did he establish it in Laughter? What an amazing God. What an amazing Friend. He feels so much closer now.
He comes in the big things - the big needs. He comes in the little desires. A few days ago, we added a Carolina Wren to our family birding chart. It was so sweet to watch Jonathan search to find it in the field guide and match the characteristics to the right wren - sweeter still to watch Melanie try so hard to contain her excitement as she slowly tiptoed up to the glass to capture a glance.
Today we sang a hymn that I haven't sung with a congregation or choir in ages. My heart leaped up at the recognition of the notes as the band began to play. It was beautifully executed. The guy behind me said, "Well that was new and interesting." I thought to myself, "Nope... that was old and beautiful!" When was the last time you got to sing a little J.S. Bach in a contemporary worship service? We sang another song that I remember enjoying so much at Oak Hills back in San Antonio. "Every high thing must come down. Every stronghold shall be broken." I'll cling to those phrases... I'll sing those lines in my heart this week as I grapple with anger and frustration and a temptation towards the grumpy-frumpies... as I ask for the grace to keep alive today's elation in my heart's discovery that I have a friend in God, the Illustrious Inventor of laughter.
A free deep freezer came to us this week. Someone just needed to get rid of it. It was sitting in a garage less than five minutes from our house.
We've been grappling a bit with finances. That's a common struggle right after a move. We're not hurting. We're just trying to get it right. It nearly always takes several months to fall into place.
That free freezer will free up funds. A deep freezer has been on my heart for months, but we just haven't felt like we should buy one right away. We've had more pressing priorities for our money.
How does God provide exactly what we need at exactly the right time? How does he know our hearts? Why did he establish a serious covenant with a fallen people? Why did he establish it in Laughter? What an amazing God. What an amazing Friend. He feels so much closer now.
He comes in the big things - the big needs. He comes in the little desires. A few days ago, we added a Carolina Wren to our family birding chart. It was so sweet to watch Jonathan search to find it in the field guide and match the characteristics to the right wren - sweeter still to watch Melanie try so hard to contain her excitement as she slowly tiptoed up to the glass to capture a glance.
Today we sang a hymn that I haven't sung with a congregation or choir in ages. My heart leaped up at the recognition of the notes as the band began to play. It was beautifully executed. The guy behind me said, "Well that was new and interesting." I thought to myself, "Nope... that was old and beautiful!" When was the last time you got to sing a little J.S. Bach in a contemporary worship service? We sang another song that I remember enjoying so much at Oak Hills back in San Antonio. "Every high thing must come down. Every stronghold shall be broken." I'll cling to those phrases... I'll sing those lines in my heart this week as I grapple with anger and frustration and a temptation towards the grumpy-frumpies... as I ask for the grace to keep alive today's elation in my heart's discovery that I have a friend in God, the Illustrious Inventor of laughter.
No comments:
Post a Comment