One of my fondest parenting memories is Teya saying to me "I have a verse for you. I've hidden it in my heart." She said it with a smile I'd pay $50 for on the spot, a smile that summarizes for me all that is good about being a child.
I envy children. I envy their ability to trust, believe and recklessly jump into life with all of the wildness of a faith rooted in love. It's a beautiful thing to see my children expressing that they are loved as they engage with the world around them.
As my kids are inside rolling the carpet up around their sibling and attempting to jump over (attempting being the operative word), I'm outside enjoying some of the best weather of my life. In fact it's so good, sitting here in my crazy creek, with my toes in the sunshine and the gentle breezes playing with the pages of my Bible, that I'm thinking, if I could freeze a moment, this might be one of them. Then I'd scoop up all of the mosquitoes (that'd be frozen in time) in our backyard/swamp and reek sweet vengeance on them by burning them one by one. Mmm, that would be good.
The verse above didn't so much "jump out" or "pop out" at me (though it's scary when they do) this afternoon as it spoke to something deep within me, a desire that sitting in my backyard paradise can barely tap, but does in fact tap. This mug within me is very excited by the promise these verses are tapping. The mug is trembling with anticipation...
In the verse I hear promising words, especially as I take eating seriously and find laying on beds to be one of our favorite pastimes.
Sometimes we think of scripture as purely spiritual and then totally miss the point. For our soul to be "satisfied as with the richest of food" takes physical realities and applies it to the spiritual. So I guess, and I hope I'm not reaching here, scripture wants us to bring the physical into the spiritual. Do I know what I'm talking about? Not really. But I'm guessing that true "soul satisfaction" will be something that will hold the weight of our full being, all of our desires.
It's amazing that just remembering God on our beds and meditating on him through the watches of the night will indeed bring this satisfaction. But it's true isn't it.
One of my friends has been experiencing all sorts of health problems and she's begun describing it as a hurricane. First there was the storm and gusts of doctors, anxiety, pain and unseen fears. Then there was the eye of serenity, of true knowledge that God had her just where he wanted her, and that he was her soul's satisfaction. But then the storm hit again as she re-entered the everyday world with all of its fears, worries and busyness.
I for one am glad that God makes us sleep. Otherwise life would just drive me out of my puny mind-space. I need to lay down. I need to remember God, and I want with everything that's in me (alright that's may be a gross overstatement on the best of days) to know this God. He only satisfies. Like a sirloin steak at Logans. Hmm. I wonder what we're doing for dinner tonight... Hey Melissa?
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