Great Pleasure

I got to spend the morning with one of my very best friends.  This person loves me and I don't just mean in a "Wow, you're a great friend and I really appreciate you" way.  No this person pretty much dances every time I walk into a room.  Smiles and laughter, hugs and kisses await me every time I'm around.  There is no halfway.  Love is full-on, sloppy-wet, climbing-all-over, one hundred percent shown, given and received.  I got to spend the morning with my son.

We read books.  We slid slides.  We climbed ladders.  We built houses.  We ate lunch.  We watched Handy Manny.  We had an adventure in the jungle and made angels in the snow and built sand castles at the beach.  And then we snuggled until he fell asleep for nap on the floor of his room surrounded by pillows and blankets and crumbs and books and toys and ... love.

The last few weeks have been difficult for me.  I'm not sure why, but I have been  homesick, missing Pennsylvania and my friends and family there.  I even wrote a whole blog about it that I didn't publish because it was sad.  And truly, I am not sad.  We have all been very blessed during our time here thus far.  God has given us a place and a purpose here that has been fulfilling for each of us.

But as I said in my unpublished blog 

"even with the best of all possibilities, it is in the strangest of times that I find my heart aching for no other reason than that I miss "home." These past few weeks have been especially difficult in that regard. I'm not really sure why. I suspect that it has something to do with spring coming and the desire to take the kids to Norlo, or hike at Caledonia, or see our dogwood tree blossom and our tulips come up - to see spring creep into the mountains, first at the brush level and then onto the trees, to smell the dirt and see the purple rocks, to get free ice from Rita's and watch the newborn lambs jumping around at that farm on Mont Alto Road that I would pass on the way to school. To see "my' twins turn six years old or to simply be around my friends and family."

Not that I am doubting our decisions. We are exactly where we should be. Not that I am alone or unloved here in Kentucky. On the contrary, God has filled our hearts and home with friends and "family of the heart" that bless us daily. Not that I am walking around miserable and sad and looking all down-in-the-mouth. Most of my days are filled with joy and gratitude for the many blessings I experience.  And, today, as I spent my morning with my adoring son, I heard God speak so clearly to me that I could literally feel His peace flood my soul.

As Caleb descended the slide and joyfully came running to my arms and hugged my neck with all his little might, I heard God whisper, "That's how I love you."  That all-consuming, fully- and freely-given love is the kind of love God has... for me.  His face lights up when I enter His room.  He longs to hold me in His arms and spend time just being with me.  He misses me when my heart is elsewhere and He rejoices when I am with Him.

I was so blessed this morning by Caleb.  His friendship, his love, his obvious joy at being with me.  He was happy and that made me happy.  And God in His goodness, in His quiet way, opened my eyes to see that He wants to bless me with His love and His grace because, now get this... because the God of the Universe, the King of all Kings, the Most High God... is happy when I am happy.  Or as Paul put in in Ephesians 1:5 "God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ.  THAT is what He WANTED to do and it gave him GREAT PLEASURE."  Me being part of God's family like I am a part of Caleb's family.  It gives Him GREAT pleasure.. not little pleasure, GREAT pleasure to love me like that.  And that familiar peace and love is available under beautiful Kentucky skies as much as it is on the backwoods trails of Pennsylvania mountains.

I still miss my friends and family.  I still look forward to May when my eyes can drink in the familiar sights and views and my arms can hug the people I love.  But, as the Psalmist says, "My soul finds rest in God alone, my salvation comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, he is my fortress.  I will never be shaken" (Ps. 62:1,2)  I'm part of the family of God, a family that I am so blessed to share with you.  And, it brings God GREAT pleasure.  Go spend some time with Him and see that smile on His face just because, you are there.

This was written on the sidewalk outside of our home the other day.  And it is true.