It's the simple things

Took Nate to the college Monday to get his ID and books. Something he is quite capable of doing on his own, but he asked me to go with him and my mother’s heart sang and I did a little happy dance. Fifty minute round trip in the car, I got to help him out and be a part of his life. While I stood in line at the window to get his books, he shopped the bookstore. Hoodies, tee shirts, everything imaginable with the Grizzlies logo. And he came up to me with…SOCKS. A pair of crew socks with the grizzly bear logo on the ankle. He was quite taken with these socks. I told him to go get a tee shirt too. I laughed about the socks, and we left with a small fortune wrapped up in books and $16.00 in socks and a tee shirt.
Sometimes it’s the simple things, the small things that can make our day. It’s a hard world. There is so much stuff out there, and I won’t speak for everyone, but my experience is that life is ugly, dirty and messy. Sunday morning I got news right before church that knocked the wind out of me. But then I had to get in the car with me kids and pretend nothing was wrong. I had to go to church and pretend nothing was wrong. I had to act all day like I was fine, when I was far from it. I had ran 20.5 miles on Saturday and went out Sunday to run 10 and ran them as hard as I could hoping the physical pain would dull the way I felt. It hasn’t. I just have to wait for a resolution. I can’t fix anything, I can’t do anything. Monday night I read Philippians. The study help that went with one of the chapters was an excerpt from a Max Lucado book. I’ve read it before, but the basic premise is would you content if God never did anything else for you. No blessings, no answered prayers. Just eternal life. Just forgiveness. Honestly after I read this I thought no. I wouldn’t be. I don’t think God’s a magic Genii waiting to grant me my every request, but so many Scriptures say pray and ask for what you want. Believing, ask in faith. Pray for his will, and I could go on. Then I read Phillipians again, and something made me look backward this time instead of looking forward. God hasn’t answered all my prayers. He hasn’t given me everything I’ve asked for. He hasn’t healed everyone I’ve prayed for and let everyone I’ve prayed for come to know him. This hasn’t changed who He is. I don’t love him less because He didn’t “perform” for me. The hard times that I had to just keep getting up every day and doing what I always do, begging for strength to get through the day never changed my belief that he is only good. So if I’m not disappointed that he has not answered every prayer my way and given me the perfect little life, if my faith is not devastated by this but actually stronger, maybe I could be content, because I'm not living for this world. I'm living in it, but only for a brief time. I'm not living for my "best life now" I'm living for my "best life later". (If you’re curious about this, read Francis Chan’s Crazy Love. You won't be sorry).
So in this world of instant gratification (I hate waiting) and making everything okay (I can’t fix this) I’m remembering to be content. I’m also enjoying the simple things. Like the pleasure my son found in a pair of socks. Because I think I enjoyed him loving those socks as much as he loved the socks.
Here are a few more simple things this week that I really enjoyed.
Nate flipping cereal across the table trying to flick it into Anneshia’s mouth and her giggles while he did it.
Cheesecake from Walmart’s bakery.
Whitney’s friend Maddi eating pork chops and potato salad after volleyball practice like she hadn’t seen food in a week.
My nephew Jeff watching Pokemon with Whitney for 15 minutes before school every morning. (And my nephew Jeff volunteering to stop and pick Whitney up every morning for high school. Huge benefit for me, and she feels so cool riding to school with her cousin who is a senior, varsity cross country, varsity baseball, homecoming court nominee).
Clean, cold drinking water.
A friend who will meet me at 5:00 a.m. for a six mile run before work.