Girl, Interrupted

Not too long ago, my bestie, Karen, wrote a blog that you can read here. It's titled "What's Important" and as you will see from my comment I "love it!" She shares a great quote about the interruptions in our daily life and how they are often the God ordained appointments we are to keep. It's a great quote. Sounds great in theory. It's certainly a lesson I've learned. Okay, that I am learning. Okay, that I'm making a D- in my remedial course. I'm a slow learner, y'all.

Just days ago Josh and I set off to run errands together. We had in tow, the youngest Fidler offspring (Eli left school early with me after our gingerbread house building) and they were hungry. It was our plan to go to 4 places (QUICKLY!) then run by McDonald's. First, I ran in the post office where I spent a half years savings on stamps. Next, I was going to run in a store to get a gift certificate. Josh accidentally passed the store and decided to drive on down the street to pay the power bill. For some reason I don't understand, we pay our power bill at the Radio Shack and Josh has become friends with the man who works there. He is a bi-vocational pastor and they always enjoy talking and catching up. I knew that Josh understood the time crunch we were in. I just knew he would make this errand quick. After 10 minutes of sitting in the Jeep listening to Eli ask, "Can we go in? Can we go in? Can we go in?" and Kate saying, "Blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah" I decided to take matters in my own hands. Since it appeared Josh was never coming back, I just  moved my happy self over to the driver seat and headed back to the store I needed to go to. As I backed out I looked in the store window only to see Josh SITTING AT A TABLE talking with this man. OH.MY.WORD. I may or may not have given my husband an ugly look and tore off down the street. I drug (dragged? drugged?) my grumpy little youngin' through the bookstore all the while repeating, "Don't touch that. Put that down. Stop. Don't touch that." I got the gift certificate and we headed back down to pick up Josh. They were still talking. I was ill. Eli and Kate have recently discovered that they are brother and sister and now find it necessary to annoy the ever loving snot out of each other and me in the process as well. I thought Josh was never coming out. Had he snuck out the back door? Had he fallen down the rabbit hole? No, he was still sitting at that table chatting like they had set up a coffee date.

25 years later Josh came back to the Jeep. He immediately started apologizing. Then he told me that his friend's son had suddenly passed away just the day before. And yes, I did feel like the most awful person on the planet. I apologized for my attitude and felt both extreme hurt and grief for this man and his wife, and extreme pride in my husband. I am so thankful for both a husband and a pastor who makes friends with the guy you pay the power bill to at Radio Shack. And I am especially thankful that he is sensitive enough to be there for that man even when he knew his evil wife was threatening his children and driving up and down the street in a huff. I was reminded of this particular week a year ago and that my stress level was through the roof. And that was before my Daddy went in the hospital. I thought shopping and baking and church cantatas were stressful. This year, here I was thinking that shopping and baking and church dinners were stressful. And this man lost his son.

Saturday our good friends Matt and Cortnee came into town to stay with us for a few days. I've spent the last couple of days in a blur of cleaning, shopping, cooking and all other manner of holiday chores. Saturday night, just as we were about to sit down to eat Josh received a phone call. Just a few days earlier there had been a wreck on the bridge that is literally less than a minute from our house. A head on collision that killed a woman and had injured a man and his baby. This man just happened to be the grandson of our sweet neighbors and church members. Well, last night we got the news that after getting some positive reports earlier, he had suddenly passed. Our neighbor's son was concerned because news of his death had been posted online and no one had told our neighbors yet. He asked Josh to hurry over and share the news before people started calling them. With our kids being so young I miss out on much of the ministry that Josh does. So many things just aren't for children and I don't always have baby-sitters, especially for things like this. But, it just happened that with Matt and Cortnee being here I was able to walk the few yards with Josh to our neighbor's house. As our neighbor opened the door he invited us in and told us his wife was in the shower. I knew Josh's dilemma. Did we tell him now or wait for her to get out of the shower? Before Josh had a chance to say anything he began telling us the good news he had heard earlier and commented that he thought he was going to come out of this. And that was the moment. We couldn't wait. There I sat, just a day short of the one year mark of the day that I received a phone call that forever changed my life. News so shocking that there is no way to absorb it in that moment. I cried with them and for them. And for me. Because news like this is that much harder in rooms with Christmas trees.

I don't share these stories to exploit the pain of these people. I share them because they have been an important reminder to me of the most important gift we can give during this busy, crazy, often stressful time of year. Our time. Our hearts. Our listening ears and caring words. I have been so overcome by that realization. As someone who received that precious gift in such abundance this time last year, I pray that God will allow me to get over my superficial, worldly, unecessary sense of stress. Because let's face, there are so many things during this time that we put on ourselves that are not necessary. But this....this is necessary. People are important and pain and suffering are still pain and suffering, even in rooms with Christmas trees. Especially in rooms with Christmas trees.

² In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. ⁵ And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us

2 Corinthians 8:2-5

Dear Jesus, please allow Your Spirit to be so alive in me that the greatest gift I can give this season is the time, love, and compassion that you would give if you were sitting in the room with every person I come into contact with. Please replace my stress over details and chores with an urgency to share You and Your love.  Please interrupt me when I am focusing my attention on things that will mean nothing a year from now, much less in eternity. How I pray that in the midst of my severe trials, there would be an oveflowing joy. I love you. In Jesus' Name, AMEN