Be ready.
That was the conviction I felt at the beginning. For what? But that was the point. I’ll never know the future. Oh, I know there’s victory in the end. But between now and then? Good works to be done at some point, somewhere, sometime under the sun. They’ve fallen into my lap, made me aware that, I was really laying down, just a nap, that turned into a half-hearted attempt, deflated to near flat. Who wants to give an account of that?
But this year was different.
Don’t placate those around you. What do they really need? Those who’ve loved you.
What is God really like? How can I make those around me happy? When I center around me, fulfillment’s only temporary.
True, to many things closed down, excitement morphed into frowns, and YET...
...the husband still got raises. His goal of mostly working from home was realized and midday gym time has knocked off more pants sizes. We thought about what mattered, my goal became to declutter. The kids are happy, more playtime with mommy. God became larger than life through books and books helped our imaginations take flight. For the first time, I enjoyed my home, my day to day life. It’s actually a blessing to be a steadfast man’s wife. Who cares if the places all close? We don’t need more stuff, I’ll rearrange, intentionally situate. Find new treasures in the same mundane space, play more music, make better dinners, and really fluff up the place.
This place.
My home, my calling, my creative sphere. It’s all here, stop adding. Use what I got, sharpen my tools, my body, my spirit. Be present, be prayerful. I said that’s all that was needed, now 2020 gives it a chance to be heeded. It took away some choices, adventures, but not rejoicing.
God reached out through a story, a star, a flower, filled me with peace, patience, a quiet kind of power. My motivation is sharper and wider than before. I look up and around not just in and down. There’s so much more to the every day, and materialism can easily get in the way. Not to mention the internet, there’s so much knowledge yet to get! But I think the thing I really needed to acquire, was an ever increasing desire. For Him, for service and love. And despite the Enemy’s 2020 designs, it only increased my focus...
...on things above.
