The truth in the twisty paths

Yesterday it was just one thing after another.

Isaac woke up with a horrible croupy cough. I got him some herbal tea and breakfast, got him back to bed and got the other kids to school. He seemed to be doing much better.

Then as I was struggling with annoying computer issues while trying to get to my too-long to-do list for the day when the school called. Eliza split her chin open - she tripped while paying foursquare on the playground and somehow her chin seemed to hit the gravel before she could catch herself. Jared picked Liza up from the school while I quickly got Isaac some medicine and settled him with a book and cancelled the lunch date I was really looking forward to with a friend I seldom get to see. Then Liza and I headed for the clinic.

Eliza was shaking in fear and worrying like crazy about what would have to happen when we got there. Two years ago, she split her forehead open and had to have two layers of 30 stitches and it was quite a scary and hard thing for her - and for me! As she laid on the table in the doctor's office, waiting for the doctor to come in, she started to freak out and was about ready to bolt out of there. I was getting all shaky myself trying to keep her calm and seeing her anxiety rise. But luckily the doctor came in quite quickly and they were able to forego the stitches and just glue her chin together. She'll be just fine. We went out for a nice lunch together and I let her stay home from school the rest of the day and watch a movie and she loved all the extra attention.

It was a gorgeous day and after school, Silas built himself an exciting bike ramp in the backyard out of old wood and bricks. He was having so much fun going off that little ramp. But after a while, one of the old pieces of wood cracked mid-jump and sent Silas and his bike flying. He took quite a spill and there were plenty of tears. But quite amazingly, he was fine - just a slightly scuffed knee and a bruise or two.

We had a nice time talking about some of Jesus' parables before bedtime (see last post for our Easter Week schedule...) and the day seemed to have calmed down nicely. But then as we were getting ready for bed, Oliver slipped and fell all the way down the steep hardwood stairs. I saw it happen - he was at the top of the stairs and I was at the bottom about to head up. I hate that when something happens just out of your reach and you can't get there fast enough! I was able to grab him a few steps before the bottom. But again, no serious injuries - just some bruises and the need to sit on my lap for a bit.

Somehow Ashton made it through the day unscathed!

Actually, all these incidents were good in one way - they kept my mind off the fact that the people who had agreed to rent our St George house had mysteriously disappeared. They'd been through the house, thought it was perfect for them, and said they wanted to rent it asap since they had to be out of the house they were selling right away. Jared talked through the terms of the rental on the phone with them, they'd come to agreements, and we emailed them a draft of a rental contract asking if there were any terms they'd like to discuss further. Then they never called. They never texted. They never emailed. Jared left several messages and texts. Still - no word. Five days later, no word. So strange! We were feeling like our prayers were answered when these people - who we actually thought we knew fairly well from when we used to live in St George - said they wanted to rent the house. We've been SO worried about getting that house sold or rented!

But I guess if they're this flaky, it's good they aren't renting our house. We've re-posted our rental ads and tried to re-interest the 3 different parties who'd wanted to set up showings of the house but who we'd told the house was already rented. Something will work out. But SOON would sure be nice!

I guess all of yesterday's near-misses (including the realization by the end of the day that these renters weren't going to be renters and that was probably a good thing) made me realize that Someone is really watching over us. And that while hard and bad things are necessary parts of this earthly existence, we are incredibly blessed with protection and love from above. The Lord's timing and plans are seldom what we expect. But in the end, we see that life's twisty and hard paths that often seem to be taking us in circles are actually taking us to the experiences we need.

I love this poem my sister-in-law shared with me that helped me more fully understand that the Lord's plans don't involve the direct and straight lines and paths that seem logical and lovely to us. His paths and patterns are much more organic and difficult - and ultimately far more beautiful.

The Line and the Branch

by Jana Rains

We love a line.

We love its decisiveness, 

  its directness. 

We love its clean predictability,  

   its efficiency  

   its elegant simplicity.

We stack a thousand messy efforts to find a bottom line, 

   a plot line, 

   a time line.

We stripe our fields and fence our ground.

We read our own brambly stories  

   into lines upon our palms.

Because, you see, 

   a line is the symbol of control

   and so

We pin our God to crossed lines

The God who was never the lover of a line.

But rather He

  who instead

prefers the branch--

   in river delta, in synapse, in leaf,   

   in artery, in lightening bolt, in crack.

All things branchy bear His Almighty thumbprint  

   in their tangle of thwarts and twists

   and opportunistic spurts.

The branch-- the structure of agency and choice,  

   of generation and providence. 

Energy dodging round obstacles,  

   sprawling through ease    

   and finding at last, its windy way home,   

   ministering as it makes its path.

He, the lover of the branch,

Draws no pickety line round our days.   

   nor does he knot them together   

   like a string of pearls,   

   or cue them up before His grace--

but rather He casts them wide 

   on the vast and brutal plane 

  and trusts the hunger   

   of the wormy root,  

the zeal of the bud.

And so we are unfettered,  yet bidden-- 

“Here is sun--turn to it  

Here is water--yearn for it

Here is manna scattered

   like seed in storm 

   find it. 

Come.”