April Showers and Pondering God’s Powers
Just a raindrop here and there to quench our thirst for His goodness…
In her mind, she can still bake a dozen loaves of bread and set out the makings for a feast.
…but in reality, the idea alone is overwhelmingly exhausting.
She has always been a worker bee, but now she’s needing to rest — needing to reimagine her day-to-day.
It leaves her bewildered and a little sad.
I am the daughter, also no longer young. But to her? I am still fresh as a daisy.
We talk, we laugh, we reminisce. We are trying to embrace today because it’s what we’ve got.
We live 800 miles apart, and yet we are close. She sees my face on her phone’s screen and I see hers. This tiny piece of technology has blessed us daily.
She is still turning sixteen in her mind. She feels her body becoming a foreign thing to her but in her mind, she sees herself as forever young. Her youthful self was very physically beautiful. Yes, she was slim, svelte, with pretty cheekbones and smile — winning her homecoming queen status even.
Her beauty is still present, just predictably camouflaged with the physical anguish of her advanced years.
We run out of things to talk about. There’s only so much conversation to cover the usual topics of health and daily routines.
And so, we dive deeper.
Our faith, always our mainstay, becomes a favorite topic. What does eternal life look like? Have we done enough to bring Jesus to those with whom we’ve crossed paths? Our family comes to mind first. Have we shared enough to give them the witness of Jesus in their lives? Are we still on this earth because there are still lives, we need to touch?
Our little purple devotion book becomes a bit worn. We take turns reading and the inspirational, bible-based stories, along with my mom’s lyrical reading voice fill me with joy!
We internalize the constant themes:
- pray without ceasing
- be still and know that I am God
- reach out to others
So easy to understand, so hard to do.
We rest in the sound knowledge that God made us imperfect on purpose. How else would we learn to depend on Him?
We try to daily embrace our present. We share life’s journey the best we can. We fail daily, are in need of forgiveness daily, and we try again. Jesus is our perfect example — showing us that we are loved in our absolute brokenness.
And so, we acknowledge with a peaceful heart our LOVED status — even though we limp along. We are companions on the journey.
Here is another treasured memory for your reading pleasure…
