Back to School
“Oh, back to school. Back to school. To prove to dad that I’m not a fool.”
Either you know – or you don’t, LOL! It seemed like the most appropriate quote for this time of year, with appropriate being a loosely used description.
Anyway, hi!
I have missed you!
How was your summer?
Fun?
Busy?
Too short?
Too long?
Overwhelming?
Restful?
How about – yes. My answer is yes, to all of the above.
Isn’t that life, though?
We live in an ongoing shift from one state (whether mental, emotional, or physical) to another as we grow, walk, and encounter new experiences that the Lord has so graciously set in motion for our benefit and His glory.
We have had a beautiful summer working in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. We have been busy. We have had long days, short days, and we have had lots of fun. Yet, there have been moments of overwhelm.
We have seen that overwhelm sink into the peace the Lord provides, and we have witnessed that overwhelm morph into rest.
Only God can turn overwhelm into rest. Overwhelm is one ugly caterpillar, but when it gets wrapped in a cocoon of His peace, you better watch out! There is a magnificent butterfly that will emerge beautiful and rested!
Thank you, Jesus!
During summer, there have been kids playing all sorts of games. Undoubtedly, hide-and-seek is one of the staples for a wide range of children and, dare I say, adults.
Parents, I see you.
That bathroom door is locked, and maybe, just maybe, your lunch was bad.
You need some extra time behind that closed door.
Sorry, Little Johnny. Daddy needs to spend some time with the other Jon. If not for his bowels, then for his mental health.
And during your adult version of hide-and-seek, there is no shortage of noises and things attempting to rob you of your few moments alone. “Moooom!” “Daaad!” “How long are you going to be in there?”
The family animals even join in.
You have the dog’s snout puffing air under the door as if one of the children is strangling him as he whimpers for your return to the circus.
However, the cat takes a more aggressive approach by physically sticking her claw under the door, determined to rip that thing open at the very expense of one of her nails. It’s life or death to them at this point.
Meanwhile, a part of you is hoping that you run out of toilet paper just so your spouse has to go to the store, kids in tow, and you can have an extra 15 minutes of solace. Dirty bum or not.
Man. It’s a tough gig to be needed.
All joking aside, aren’t we so glad that God, Our Father, never wants to hide from us! We don’t have to play a game of hide-and-seek with Him.
He is always available and always has an open-door policy. We don’t have to whimper at the door or try to rip it open. Our return to His presence is always an about-face away.
All we have to do is pivot.
One funny thing about the game of hide-and-seek is that the ultimate goal isn’t to stay hidden but to make it back to home base before you can get caught.
The Lord wants us to be in community, although there are times when we feel a need to hide (think rest) from interaction from those around us. We should always have the ultimate goal of pivoting and running back to home base.
God designed us for community.
We are safest from getting caught by the Devil when we are tucked into the sheepfold.
Maybe you needed a good portion of this summer to hide in the bathroom alone with God.
Can I encourage you that now might be a good time to run back to home base and engage your community?
He seeks us, and He finds us.
Let’s remember to seek and find the things He calls important.
“Oh, back to school. Back to school. To prove to dad that I’m not a fool.”
Maybe that quote was more appropriate than I thought!
