Our July calendar looks like one big ink blot picture. It is filled with swim practice, swim lessons, basketball workshops, family activities and a variety of summer camps. Last week, I felt like a ball in a vintage pinball machine being passed from the Andy Griffith Playhouse, to the historic Earle Theater and then to the Reeves Community Center with my final destination resting in the shooter lane to be ready for the pull and release to start all over again.
While some would think the highlight of my day would be the "release"... freeing myself from the chattiness of the cute nine year old, the mood swings of the twelve year old or even the emptiness of the hormonal mind of my teenager...the highlight of my day is actually the "catch". Nothing warms my heart more than to see our kids faces light-up when they see me, as though it has been days since they last saw me even though it's been less than two hours. Then to hear about all the new things they experienced...everything from perfecting a difficult swim stoke to meeting a new friend.
Often times I can't help but wonder....what about all the other children? When I see our nine year old come out hand in hand with not one but two new friends, what about the little girl who sits alone on the bench hoping that someone will say "hello". As my oldest daughter texts me "mom, can't wait to tell you what happened in swim today", I think about the young girl from the pool that said, "my mama believes swim lessons are for babies and that's why I don't need them." It's easier to tell your children that something is silly than it is to tell them we can't afford it. When I see parents arguing in the parking lot and uttering disrespectful words to each other, I think about how blessed I am with my perfectly imperfect marriage...where God is still "all up in it".
My mind tends to wander even more when I spend countless hours waiting for their arrival. I begin to think about things more broadly. Last week, our oldest daughter was baptized. I can't help but think about my own walk with Christ and the many churches that I have attended over the years where the male church leaders have misguided myself or countless other females and discouraged us from sharing the word of God as though we were not capable due to being female. Those same leaders have put so much emphasis on good merits that they themselves are misguided if they believe that through good merits alone will bring them eternal life.
In this land of "good and plenty", we have starving Rangers in this world. We have a plethora of agencies whose only purpose is to provide food, clothing and shelter, but yet our streets and allies are filled with homeless families. Churches have extensive missions programs, but yet few of them are in our communities where there is an abundance of lost souls.
Just as I am excited to see our children and hear about all their new experiences, it is my prayer that they will never become so consumed with themselves that they can not see the opportunities to show others that they too care about not only their eternal destiny, but that they care about others' as well.
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