I reported to work this morning, taught the preschoolers about Jesus healing a blind man, but 90 minutes later I was clocked out and on my way home. Today marked the 16th day in a row I was working without a day off. My body is tense; I've been verclempt (is that a word?) most of the day; my house is in disarray. I truly needed a day off - physically and mentally. So - when I got home I put on some soothing music, made some banana bread, cleaned up my bedroom (clothes were everywhere!), washed dozens of towels, then made the yummiest chicken noodle dinner (thanks Paula Dean!). Oh, I even had a 30 minute nap! I felt so much more normal after getting all these things accomplished, but nothing compares to what Lewis said when he came home from school: The house smells amazing! I can't wait for dinner! Ahhh. Normalcy again.
But I visited Target this afternoon on my way to pick up the other two boys from track practice and I saw this man in a large earth moving machine, just driving his big truck
around some dirt heaps, crossing the street. Back and forth he goes. Two other men stop traffic on the road so the earth mover can keep moving. The tires alone on this earth mover are taller than myself, so it's a pretty large machine. I stopped there on the road watching this truck thinking:
I could do that. The earth moving driver-man is in a warmed cabin, he's wearing grubbies, he probably didn't even shower before going to work, and he gets to sit
and drive this large machine back and forth, back and forth all day long. Then when the day is done, he locks it up, turns in the key to the foreman, and goes home. He probably doesn't wake up during the night, like I do, thinking about classrooms, snacks, volunteers, schedules, overcrowding, overdue movies, did I say enough, did I say too much, and how to make a better program for my early childhood kids - because remember: Sunday's Coming!
So... Today I dreamed of a having new job - being a earth moving truck driver. Regular hours. Days off when the weather is bad. No concerns for what clothes to wear, or what practical but stylish shoes to run around in. Finsh one job, move on to the other. No real commitments. No close relationships.
But that's not what Jesus did. Jesus lost sleep. Jesus had a heart for people. Jesus woke up early in the dark hours of the morning to pray for those around him. Jesus had the hardest job in the world to do, and he did it perfectly. The only reason I was able to go to work today and teach the Bible to so many beautiful preschoolers is because Jesus did it first. He has set the example and as long as I continue to do what He calls me to do, He'll equip me to get it all done.
But I can still dream of being an earth moving truck driver.
My friend Dianne Bartel is celebrating her 70th birthday this month, March 2009. She showed great excitement at our last MOPS meeting about turning 70 saying with a cheer: she loves it! Usually women don't get real excited about turning a year older, but Dianne looks at birthdays a bit differently than most of us. You see exactly half her age ago, 35 years ago, Dianne lay in a bed with cancer, uncertain as to her future. She earnestly prayed for God to heal her to allow her the privilege of having another year, many more years if possible, to see her children grow, her grandchildren, and now her great-grandchildren. Thirty-five years ago, at the age of 35, Dianne didn't know her future, but she knew and trusted in an Almighty God.
I reported to work this morning, taught the preschoolers about Jesus healing a blind man, but 90 minutes later I was clocked out and on my way home. Today marked the 16th day in a row I was working without a day off. My body is tense; I've been verclempt (is that a word?) most of the day; my house is in disarray. I truly needed a day off - physically and mentally. So - when I got home I put on some soothing music, made some banana bread, cleaned up my bedroom (clothes were everywhere!), washed dozens of towels, then made the yummiest chicken noodle dinner (thanks Paula Dean!). Oh, I even had a 30 minute nap! I felt so much more normal after getting all these things accomplished, but nothing compares to what Lewis said when he came home from school: The house smells amazing! I can't wait for dinner! Ahhh. Normalcy again.
around some dirt heaps, crossing the street. Back and forth he goes. Two other men stop traffic on the road so the earth mover can keep moving. The tires alone on this earth mover are taller than myself, so it's a pretty large machine. I stopped there on the road watching this truck thinking: I could do that. The earth moving driver-man is in a warmed cabin, he's wearing grubbies, he probably didn't even shower before going to work, and he gets to sit and drive this large machine back and forth, back and forth all day long. Then when the day is done, he locks it up, turns in the key to the foreman, and goes home. He probably doesn't wake up during the night, like I do, thinking about classrooms, snacks, volunteers, schedules, overcrowding, overdue movies, did I say enough, did I say too much, and how to make a better program for my early childhood kids - because remember: Sunday's Coming!
