The Mother and The Daughter

This weekend was a whirl of surprise and reflection-though I turned 30 a week ago.

Friday evening, I went out to a nice dinner with my hubs and his mom and step-dad. I thought some of her actions curious, but just thought she was excited to see us (she insisted on bringing her camera and charger to the restaurant). Afterwards, in the spring rain that has caused my allergies to flair up (BIG), we headed to my mom and Steve's house for what I thought was playing cards...
to find about 20 people there to surprise me. I haven't seen the pictures yet, but I KNOW my face showed what I was feeling...shock! Big shout out to Linz for conspiring with my mom!

Saturday, I met with the search committee for finding a new Praise Team Coordinator for our church (since I'm on the Worship Purpose Driven Team) and we spoke with 2 individuals, both with big hearts for God's people to learn to be vulnerable and truly empty themselves to worship.
Wow. Good vision was shared and reflected upon.

The meeting afterwards with one particular woman...She is the first of whom I truly want to share with you about. This mother found out during an Alaskan cruise last August that she has cancer. She has been undergoing chemo treatment since November. She has been serving the church in various leadership positions for the last 20 years while raising her children and seeing grandchildren born. She has SUCH a desire to see the people at our church to grow in the Lord. She has a desire to see them fully commit themselves to God's work for their specific talents. She has a heart for the community and children...
and she has been given the verdict that her time is limited on Earth. She admitted that she has her days of sitting at home feeling sorry for herself, but I have seen the fruit of kindness, faithfulness, generosity, love, peace, patience...just to name a few. She said that she had been struggling with her joy because...she wants to SEE the outcomes of the things she has so fervently prayed and hoped for. She wants to be not just a part of the process but the finished product as well.
I got the chance to pour words of truth and hope into her. It was such an amazing time of listening and prayer. This mother doesn't care about a legacy (though the one she has been preparing has been AMAZING), but more about doing God's work and spending time with her kids, grandkids and husband. She says she's more sad about what she will miss now that she is aware of her shortened time with them.

The other person I am wanting to share with you about is one of my Sunday School kiddos. She has had a rough growing up so far with a struggling family dynamic and different interests than most girls her age. At our tea party, she was surprisingly the most polite and cordial. She is already a great prayer warrior for the Kingdom. She is wise beyond her years not only when it comes to facts, but also when it comes to being aware of how to pray...for Haiti, for her non-Christian friends at school and for her little sister's attitude. Though her father is absent, her mother does a great job of consistency in her schedule and activities, but she still has bad days. Yesterday, she surprised me again by saying the things that make her feel happiest include her father. It made me think...
Yet another instance of the importance of a present father. I struggled at times with this concept as I didn't always live near mine. Knowing and understanding that our Heavenly Father is truly present at all times is a hard concept to grasp. This daughter hasn't seen her father in...years, yet her identity STILL lies in his approval of her. What if we all treasured the approval of our Father the way she does her father? What if us daughters (and sons) could be proud of ourselves and joyful by simply knowing His presence and love showering on us?

I know that's awfully deep for a Monday morning following Daylight Savings, but I laid awake til after midnight pondering all this last night.