We Went Skating

Today I was able to have one of those experiences that as a follower of Christ I’m able to see through only His (God’s) eyes. My daughters were invited to our neighbor girls 6th birthday at a skating rink down the road. Both of my girls have never skated and I went apprehensively knowing that with my genes the possibility of them getting hurt could very well happen.  But I want my girls to experience new things and I don’t want to be that helicopter mom that my default setting so comfortably wants to fall back to. 

My husband took Lily and walked with her and she took off on this new adventure and I was with Emma. 

As I held Emma’s hand around the rink time after time after time I got to see her exactly for who she is. She is beautiful, and strong, determined and not willing to give up. She said “mom, I’m not stopping till I can do this on my own”. I cheered her one, I directed her the best I could on how to skate and how not to “walk” in the skates. So many lessons to be learned from these two hours experienced with my girl. 

For two hours I was not distracted by the world, I was fully invested in her and her momentary dream of learning to skate. Much like God wants to give us the desires of our hearts. 

“Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalms 37:4 

I remember back to my husbands desire of becoming a police officer and the two major fights we had about that because my simple mind could not understand how he could ever be a cop and be in ministry at the same time as a youth pastor. However God knew how it could happen and my husband is currently a police officer for the Topeka 501 school district. He also pastors our church by-vocationally. 

Emma worked hard for two hours today wanting and desiring to become the best skater that she could be. She was determined and although she was doing much better by the time we left she had not mastered this skill. 

There were times she held on tight to my hand, there were times she took off on her own. Times of distraction brought her tumbling down. No matter I was there, there to grab her before she hit the floor and there to pick her back up after she fell. She knew I was there and she could continue in her efforts because she knew she was not alone in it. 

It is exactly like that in our lives as we walk with Christ. Times we fall and He snatched us right up before we crash and times we completely fail and He’s there to pick us up. No matter He is there. He guides and directs us. Gives us the knowledge of how to do life and instruction through His word to encourage us along the way. The lesson here is simply beautiful. God used Emma today to give me more than she will ever know. A beautiful moment in our lives as mother and daughter. A moment I was able to watch and see her without distraction of anyone else. To see how she has grown not only physically but as a little girl. How God has passed down her father and it’s trait of determination. She reminded me of myself. I do not see myself anymore like that. Yet God revealed that trait in her and that it had came from me. Or at least a little bit because her daddy is a very determined man. One of many wonderful traits about him. 

But most importantly God reminder me so gracefully of His love for me. How He will never leave me. Whether my circumstances are tough or if I’m rocking it out on a spiritual high, God is there. Right next to me. 

Please pray for me to continue in choosing to live for the moments of life. This life is so very short. 

“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

James 4:14 

This life is a vapor! I desire to stop wasting it. Please pray for me to make better choices. I don’t want to look back on my life at some point and think it a waste because I spent most of it on my phone or ignoring my children because I was tired or not truly cherishing my husband. God has beautiful moments waiting for us all the time. But we have to be willing to choose to live in them and see Him in them. Thank you Lord for all your many blessings. Thank you Lord for this very breath. Thank you Lord for today it would have been meaningless without You.