Monday, October 14, 2013

"Mommy, What's for Dinner?"

For the past several months, Joe has been wanting to take me to a new pizza place he discovered. Unfortunately, whenever we get the rare chance to have a date night, we are not quite in the mood for that type of cuisine. This is because our  motto is quickly becoming, "When life gets crazy, we eat pizza!" Let me explain...

 Our days are chaotic. Even as I write, my kitchen is in dire need of sweeping due to the phenomenon of more cereal ending up on the floor than what was originally in my children's bowls before breakfast started. Our little people need to be clothed, fed, washed, entertained, educated, and basically kept alive on an hourly basis. Joe and I have filled-up calendars and to-do lists stacked so high it could rival that of a highly suspenseful Jenga game. So as dinner time quickly approaches, the easiest thing for me to do is throw that Italian pie in the oven and call it a day.

A midst this wild, pizza-eating season of life, Joe and I have been meditating on Psalm 23:6.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

This is a verse I have known nearly my whole life but never really grasped its meaning until recently. The word "follow" can also be translated as "to pursue" or "to chase down." We moms know this kind of pursual:
It's the feeling you get when you try to sneak off to the bathroom for just one moment of privacy. It isn't very long before you hear little feet pounding down the hallway at an alarming rate and see tiny hands scraping the floor underneath the closed door in a desperate attempt to get to you. They will stop at nothing until they once again have you at an adorably chubby arm's length (or even closer, in most cases).

What is it that is following us in this persistent, determined, relentless way? It is the faithful loving-kindness of our Savior. The Jesus Storybook Bible defines this kind of love as the "Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love."  What a beautiful description of the favor that God has for those who have placed their hope in Him!

So when you and I are digging blue play-dough out of the carpet, God's loving-kindness is chasing us down. When we're sitting in front of a mountain of laundry and we'd rather be at the park with our kids, God's goodness won't stop coming after us until it finds us. When that "spill proof" sippy cup decides to pour out all of its contents during a long doctor's appointment, God's faithful love is hotly pursuing us. And when we forget about the church pot luck lunch until 11:00 on Saturday night, the "Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love" will be right by our side.

Joe and I are seeking ways to make our life more simple. In the meantime, life is hectic. We're eating a lot of pizza. But we're thankful for each day He gives us to be with our family and church, resting in God's faithful loving-kindness he has graciously lavished on us. I'll take that over a fast, cheap, pepperoni thin crust any day!

2 comments:

  1. Oh, so true - pizza and tacos have been a staple at our home for many years! What a great reminder that He is ALWAYS with us. I love the scripture that says He gently leads those with young. My life doesn't always feel gentle, but I know that He is - even when He has to correct me.

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  2. Pizza & Mac n Cheese at our house! :) Love this post, Becky. I used that verse on my high school graduation announcement...I love it!

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