More Mercies Finally, a Quote, and a Ramble

1247 my first hot chocolate of the cooler season - alone in the car

1248 sweet sleeping baby fists

1249 iridescent genius spider web high in the oaks

1250 light - I just love light.

1251 impromptu lemonades and chicken nuggets - just me and The Seven

1252 the sound of crickets in the trees at night while I went for a little drive

1253 Baby H slept through two (almost 3) nights this week!!!!!

1254 my big 3 laughing happy in the car on the way home from a birthday party

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I've been wanting to add another portion from A Praying Life. This bit immediately follows the part I quoted in the last post:

In the gospel, Jesus took my sin, and I got His righteousness. That is how gospel stories work...Whenever you love, you reenact Jesus'death.

Consequently, gospel stories always have suffering in them. American Christianity has an allergic reaction to this part of the gospel. We'd love to hear about God's love for us, but suffering doesn't mesh with our right to "the pursuit of happiness." So we pray to escape a gospel story, when that is the best gift the Father can give us. When I was sitting on the plane thinking, Everything has gone wrong, that was the point when everything was going right. That's how love works.
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He goes on to say how our participation in God's stories, as he calls them, exposes the idols of our hearts. I just about fell down when he listed his own idols that were uncovered through the stressful situation with his autistic daughter Kim: the desire for people's approval, efficiency, and order.

Bingo. He nailed several of mine right there in one swoop.

And truly, the little storms God's allowing (giving? will I stand in faith that it is all a gift?) during my hours and days are uncovering those very idols and then some.

It's been a long time since I added to my Mercies list. Part of the reason has been that I have struggled with whether I am actually thankful or not, especially for the hard stuff. Well, I know I'm not always thankful...but I didn't want to go writing about thankfulness if it wasn't real.

Miller's perspective - just when I thought everything has gone wrong, that was the point when everything was going right - is really no different from the challenge to give thanks in all things. It's walking in a faith that believes God is good, wiser than I am, that He's loving and sovereign and that being happy and comfortable are not His vision for my life. Christ-likeness is His vision for me.

I'm rambling.

I'm learning.