grace and resourcefulness

My son Paul has been a sick little man this week so we have read many stories and curled up with a few movies.  In the sweet providence of God, just prior to his falling ill we had made a trip to the local library where I actually said yes to checking out a few movies.  So, in we popped "Arctic Tale" and entered the vast snow kingdom found in the arctic region of our world. There we "met" walrus pups and polar bears, among other critters.  About half way through, we came to this narrative about a polar cub: "Nanu faces her own crises.  She's never been stranded on shattered ice...never been so hungry...never been in circumstances where her mother's training was no help at all."

I sat there and chewed on that line for a minute.  Now I understand that people are not polar bears, but in a strange wee way I identified with that statement (for a brief second).  Here I am, watching my boy spike fevers each evening this week that have topped previous records set by my children in my almost 10 years of mothering and feeling powerless to do anything about it.   I pitied that wee bear cub... poor little thing!  Then I quickly personalized its helpless feeling... poor me.  And poor little Paul.  Then I had the overwhelming thought of the responsibility that I have to train my kiddos up to handle whatever they face in life.  And how I won't always be here for them.  Ever watch a movie only to get side tracked by a self-made pity party?  It can be a slippery slope, I tell ya.

BUT then I stopped and thought about how often I've been in situations that were new to me, and how God in His mercy has taught me to rely upon His ever-sufficient grace upon grace.  My mother taught me to be resourceful, so even though I don't necessarily know off the top of my head how to treat fevers that spike fast and high (like 104.7 last night), I had some good hunches from previous experiences and could pick up a phone to verify my hunches.  And unlike the polar bear cub, I am not alone - God is ALWAYS with me, and He has also given me the beautiful gift of community.  My mother-in-law kindly picked up MJ and went to buy some groceries up for us at Costco (thank you again Pat).  Paul wanted to hear my friend Barbara's duck joke, which I couldn't remember well enough to tell so I called her in Florida and put the phone on speaker so she could cheer him (bless you Barbara, I know you're reading this!).  Now my niece Talia is running another errand for me (thanks sweetie).  These are just a few examples of community, beautiful community - a gift not to be taken for granted for sure!  Ah, but this is a rabbit trail...back we go to the story...

Within a few minutes of starting a pity party, I was moved in my spirit from a fearfulness based on my own finiteness and insufficiency to restfulness in God who is able to uphold me and my children in His loving hands.  They too will face all kinds of things that I will in no way be able to prepare them for in terms of the specific circumstances, but I can point them to Christ daily, live by His grace, and put tools into their hands to increase their resourcefulness so that whatever God brings circumstantially into their lives, they can face it with faith and bear fruit for His glory. 

So now I sit here, thankful once again to the One who is infinite is knowledge and wisdom...the One who is sovereign and all-powerful, permitting the waves of difficulty to come only so far in our lives, graciously setting their boundaries as well as their purposes...the One who graciously works all things together for good for those who call upon His name and place their hope in Him.  He has rescued me once again from wandering down a pitiful road...thank you Father.