STRESS RELIEF

I love water.

I love the sound of water - waves against the beach, raindrops on the roof, children splashing in puddles, the gurgle of water as it filters over black coffee grounds in the morning.

I love the feel of water - cold creek water on hiking-sore feet, the gentle massage of the rising and falling swells beyond the surf zone at the shore, the soothing comfort of a hot shower or bath after a long day of work.

I love the smell of water - the sweet freshness of rain on the hay field, the sharp tang of rain on asphalt, the chlorine bite of a swimming pool, the savory saltiness of ocean air, the pungent funk of edgewater at the pond back on Granddaddy's farm.

I have often said that if I had a spirit animal, mine would be a manatee. I have no idea what work I will be assigned in heaven or in the new earth, but I hope my job will involve water. Maybe God will let me be a manatee shepherdess. Or a mermaid.

Life has been stressful lately. The challenge of learning new job skills and the emotional exertion required to work daily with sick and hurting people. My normal at-home routine - pfft! - all akimbo. What routine?! The weight of long-standing relationship struggles, with no resolution in sight.

How do I de-stress?

• I de-stress by writing. Not much time for writing lately.
• Snatches of quiet and solitude help me process stress, too - prayer, long walks on the farm, meditative yoga. But there's been no quiet and solitude on my calendar lately, either!
• And water. Water is a great stress reliever for me: tumbling over rocks in the creek, lapping gently at pond's edge, crashing rhythmically against a ribbon of golden sand. Ah, to go back to the beach!

My middle daughter and I were busy in the kitchen this morning, trying to juggle the chaos and noise of small children, breakfasts and baking, bumped noggins and crossed wills, plinking piano and sauce-pot drums.

As we negotiated this cacophony of life, the sky broke open in a deluge, sang a couple verses of one of its favorite songs, "Remember That Man Noah?"

Martha raised the kitchen windows and propped open the front door. The two of us stood in the doorway for several minutes, soaking up the sound and the sweetness of the torrential rain.

And although the sky was very dark indeed, my heart and soul felt lighter.

* * *

What about you? What are some of your favorite stress relievers? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

OTHERWORLDLY LOVE

"For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:7-8

Here is an amazing thing: God did not wait for us to clean up our act before He chose to love us; He pursued us not because we ran toward him, but because we ran away from him.

Here is another amazing thing: God does not stop loving us and pursuing us when we wipe out in epic ways. When we try to slink away to shadowy places, into dark caves of sin, shame, and guilt, He STILL loves us - and He comes after us.

God does not love his people because we are good; He loves us because He is good.

He does not love us because we always do life well; He alone is holy, sinless, perfect, righteous, altogether lovely.

He does not love us because we have great faith, or because our faith never falters; only God is always faithful.

He does not say, "Your sin is no big deal." Neither does He say, "Your sin is so big, I can't deal with it." Rather, He says, "Your sin IS a really big deal; that's why I died for it. I love you enough to address your sin; now, we're going to work through this together."

He does not say, "Your little talent/gift has no value." He says, "This gift is from me. Do not despise it. Invest it for my kingdom."

He does not shame us or treat us like second-class citizens; He calls us his beloved.

God loves his children in an otherworldly way that is unlike any other relationship we will ever experience.

And yet...

He calls us to love just like that...like He loves.

How on earth is that even possible?

To love others like God loves us is possible only to the extent that we understand, believe, and act on what we have experienced ourselves:

We are called to love other people not because they are good, but because we know - we really know - that God is good.

We are called to love other people not because they do life well, but because we know - we personally know, really and truly - the fountainhead of all life.

We are called to love other people not because they share and affirm our own faith experience or because their faith never falters, but because we have seen and experienced the faithfulness of God.

Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us...that through us, He might pour out his pursuing, bloody-messy, redeeming, faithful, abundant love into the lives of those around us.

"In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4: 10-11

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN

Old picture, but...

The Japan contingent is home for a visit! And this evening, while Daddy put the little girls to bed, the sisters sat down at the piano together and played and sang.

It's been going on for about an hour now. One of the sweetest sounds I know.

I think this is a little hint of what heaven will be like.

OBSERVATIONS ONE MONTH INTO THE NEW JOB

Observations one month into the new job:

* I miss mornings on the porch swing. Evenings on the porch swing are a pretty sweet consolation, though.

* Ladies, we really cannot do it all. Whoever tells us we can is lying.

When I stayed home, my days were full. I rarely felt like I had enough hours in the day to do the things that needed to be done. Running a home was/is a full-time job.

Now that I work outside the home several hours each weekday, running a home is STILL a full-time job. So, what does that mean? It means there's an awful lot going undone on the home front. I don't like the situation, but the alternative is for me to work all day at the lab, then come home and work all night at home. I can do one or the other and still make time to sleep, eat, shower, etc., but I can't do both.

* When I stayed home full-time, a house fairy apparently did the laundry, mopped the floors, cleaned the bathrooms, swept the cobwebs off the ceiling, bought the groceries and cooked the meals. This house fairy stopped doing magic the day I clocked in at the lab. I keep hoping she/he will show back up, but so far, that hasn't happened.

* When I stayed home full-time, home was my workplace, but it was also my refuge. Home feels less like a refuge now because all the undone chores clamor for my attention. "Let it go! Let it go!" may be a great coping strategy for a Disney ice princess with magical powers, but it has not proven to be an effective way to create a pleasant home environment or foster peace of mind for me personally.

* There are so many beautiful people in the world. My co-workers at the lab are all very different from me, but they are delightful people to work with. I appreciate their expertise, patience and humor, and I am thankful for and enjoy each one of them. These awesome people make my job fun.

Now, the sun has set and the mosquitoes are biting. Time to head inside and wind down for the night - 4:50 tomorrow morning will be here before I know it. Rest well, friends!