Thought-provoking Bliss

As I write this morning, I am in a state of pure bliss, which is part of the reason I wanted to write. I don't like to write for public intent out of anger, disappointment, apathy, or revenge. Reading words written for such reasons bring me down and that's the last thing I want to do for someone else. Happy words, on the other hand, are share-able and hopefully uplifting, even to me later when I may feel less blissful. So this morning I want to remember how I feel. Let me explain why I am on Cloud 9.

About a month ago, Ryan had a wonderfully sweet idea. By his suggestion and after a little planning, this morning I enjoyed a child-free, guilt-free breakfast with other mom friends. We didn't share our food or lean across the table to cut eggs into pieces and none of us left looking like we had had an accident because no one spilled anything on us! In a word, it was lovely. It was a soak-it-all-in kind of experience. I was fully aware of how much I was enjoying the small break, but more so I was (am) so thankful for such a loving husband.

As I drove to and from the restaurant I had time by myself in the car, which doesn't happen often, but the big deal to me in the car was having control of the radio. (My music has been commandeered for some time now by a certain 2-year-old someone, who is adorable and opinionated, and replaced with repetitive jingles that visit me in my dreams.) You would think I would take advantage of my country music while I had the chance but on the way home, I actually turned the radio off and just enjoyed the silence and the snow still on the ground from our last storm.

Somewhere between feeling so blessed and being surrounded by white, my mind turned to hopeful advent thoughts. I hope the usual hopes of peace and joy and those hopes are wonderful. But my thoughts were also on my motivation for feeling so blessed this morning. Why this morning, why not every morning? Why not at least Sunday morning? Sunday mornings for me as a mom, Sunday school teacher, pastor's wife mean quite a bit of planning and preparation by myself. Sometimes by the time we are on the way home from church, I am so worn out that I don't even realize that I never fully showed up.

Have you ever had guests in your home that don't want to eat? If you invite someone to your home for a meal, you are excited to share with them what you have prepared in the best of hospitable intentions. Wouldn't you be disappointed if their response was any form of "No thanks"? They may even have a really good reason for not wanting to eat, but there is still disappointment in your heart because of an unshared blessing and a seemingly wasted preparation and invitation.

Now flip that.

Every Sunday morning I go to church "just to be there" OR spend my time of meditation going over to-do lists in my mind OR sit among fellow believers but not do not engage my brain OR complain about a song because I don't like the melody and ignore the powerful lyrics OR walk away from a need because someone else will do it OR check out all together from Monday-Saturday...
I feel like the guest who showed up by God's invitation to receive nourishment and, by whatever popular justification, refuse yet another blessing. I can only imagine how that makes God feel.

My hope for all this advent season is purposeful motivation to engage in each and every tiny, huge, casual, unexpected, planned blessing that crosses our paths. To use a Christmas cliche, that may mean giving blessing through planning and invitation and receiving when someone else has done the same. But most importantly for each of our souls, may we RECOGNIZE God's invitation, participate in God's calling, and may our response be gratitude and to go and do likewise for even the most difficult person in the family, on the block, in the office, or from our past. (If you just pictured someone, I hope you feel challenged.)

It's amazing what a little fellowship followed by alone time can do for the soul! I hope you receive some of that as well this holiday season.

Sincerely warm blessing to you and yours this Christmas with high hopes!