My baby starts school this week. Just a couple of mornings during the week, but still, it's hard for me to believe that she's starting school.
But this is not just hard to believe because she's my baby. It's literally hard for me to believe....to picture...to imagine....Lily sitting still, following directions, and listening to a teacher. And yet, I have to remind myself, when she tells me she can't hear me because make believe 'Rea' is talking too loud, that these are things she will learn. I'm quite sure that Lily Joy will learn a lot this year. I hope that Lily Joy will learn a lot this year...
I hope she'll learn how to sit and listen......
I hope she learns how to raise her hand....
I hope she learns how to write her letters....
...and learns that she can't demand.
I hope she learns of the world around her....
And how to be polite.....
I hope she learns more about Jesus......
...and how to trust in him day and night.
But there's one certain thing that I hope Lily learns...
I haven't attended any this summer, but through facebook and friends pictures, I've enjoyed looking at the memories of several weddings during the last couple of months.
One things is common in every single picture: bliss. Pure, unadulterated bliss. It's the beginning of a new life, new adventures, and suddenly the fear of an unknown future is calmed because of the thought that this future will be faced with a partner. As long as they have each other, they'll be OK.
And yet, we're not guaranteed this partner for the entirety of our lives.
I have fond memories of listening to my great uncle James read to his wife, Kathleen, when her sight began failing her. He had done this with his wife for years. But that's not all they've done hand in hand. For 65 years, they have spent their lives as partners in any and every situation.
Today, my uncle James is nearing his heavenly home. For the first time in almost 65 years, this husband and wife are separated. They can no longer live together because of his ailing body and the help that he requires.
My heart hurts for both of them and the tragedy that sin has brought into this world. And yet, the love for my uncle's bride is not all that he has to hold on to.
The other morning he began singing. In the midst of his own confusion and the unrecognizable sentences that have recently come from his mouth, he began singing a hymn; each word was as clear as the next. He was praising Jesus.
It's Jesus that is on his mind as he lies in a bed only understanding some of what is going on around him. It is Jesus that he is clinging to. It is Jesus that he longs to see.
I'm grateful for for my partner in this life. We have our ups and downs like every couple. We don't always communicate well. And yes, a pastor and his wife argue, which apparently is a misconception after talking with a woman once who was somehow surprised by this reality.
But I'm in love. I'm so very in love with a husband who is supportive and gracious. A husband who I can laugh with and a partner who is always honest with me, pulling me back into reality when necessary (which is more often the case than I'd like to admit). Most importantly, I'm thankful for a husband who always points me back to Jesus.
Yes, I'm in love. But I love Jesus more. And my husband would not want that any other way. As difficult as it seems for me on a daily basis, I am reminded, through the examples of people like my uncle James and aunt Kathleen, that I should never live for my husband. I should never live for my children. I should be living for Jesus alone. It is Jesus who holds our future. It is Jesus who supplies our needs. And it is Jesus that we will one day behold, face to face, and it will be beyond blissful.
