Day Twenty-One - April 21, 2020
Today I awoke to Nellie staring at me with a giant question mark on her face… She had her very first sleepover at Nanny’s house last night! As I pulled out of our driveway to head to my mom’s, Andrei ran back into the house like a parent who just got their babysitter and kids settled and was off to enjoy his moment of freedom! Hah!
We met Mr. Fox again this morning, only this time no ducks were present to distract her - only a very interesting groundhog that found itself to be in very close proximity to a curious pup!.
The sun rose again… beautiful and warm.
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June 30, 1885 the Diary of Lilias Trotter
“The grass has to stand very still as it holds its precious “weight of glory” - and so has the soul on whom the dew of the Spirit comes. Literally, as easily as this dew, His dew is brushed off - some of us know it to our cost. An impulse of impatience, a sense of hurry or worry allowed to touch us, a mere movement of the self-life against His checking and He is gone, and our soul stands stripped and bare. Noiseless must be His Holy Habitation within us.”
Along our walk this morning, I considered these words… I bent low and studied the dew drop - suspended upon the blade of grass.
2 Corinthians 4:16-17 reads “That is why we never give up. Though our outer self continues to fade, our inner self is being renewed every day. For our present troubles are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison - we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. The things that we can see are only temporary - but the things that are unseen - they are eternal.”
And as I bent low, I again asked for renewed grace… renewed strength… renewed purpose. I asked for wisdom to continue…
And then from seemingly out of nowhere, a little white dog shot out of the woods - chased by Mr. Fox! I started screaming… and the dew drop fell.
It’s true and real. The moment of considering complete. But there’s a beautiful thing that can happen when we study nature - it offers such beautiful potential for us to be inwardly changed. Something is always changing in the wild… seasons, shadows, wind currents… nothing stays the same for long periods of time. The wind blows - the dew drop falls.
But the beauty might just be found in the process of discovery. The momentary pausing to consider. The lesson absorbed - the dew drop falls. When we take that moment of reflection into our ever-changing lives - we carry the very aroma of Heaven - we are changed!
Many years ago, I started homeschooling Daniel and it was becoming more and more apparent that it was time for something to shift and change with Kat. Daniel went back to school to study in a primarily outdoor environment and Kat came home to me. It was rough… we began to discover deficits in her academics that freaked both of us out. The more we studied - the harder the process.
That was when we shifted gears and brought in the professionals! Beautiful teachers, professors, administrators - excellent and proficient in their field of study. They first studied our home, our environment, our daughter, our relationships… and then the academics. We moved ever so slowly. Day after day after day… It was incredibly painful. Yet, we believed it was the right method for our daughter and so we just kept going.
I remember calling a dear friend of mine in the middle of December and asking, “When will I know if this is working??” Her reply: “Go outside, Deb… to the front of your home. What do you see? Nothing, right? But I know that you planted tulips and daffodils there last year, right?” You can’t see them now because it’s not time! And if they spring up now - they won’t produce! Wait… believe in what you’re planting by your obedience.”
March came. And so did the tulips.
Kat moved ahead three grade levels in one particular subject that school year and ended up graduating with her Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies four years later while still in high school. She is now a junior pursuing a business degree in logistic and supply chain management. The wind blows - the dew drop falls.
The process of discovery isn’t usually glamorous and thrilling with instant results. It is a steady moment by moment process internally - a gift from our Creator God.
If you’re out at a store or garden center and see any tulips for sale, maybe pick up a few. (They have to be potted.) If they’re dead - that’s great! They’re usually cheaper that way. Cut off all the leaves and flowers and just wait. Choose a spot on your property if you can, and plunk those bulbs and soil there. Cover them with soil. And wait. Don’t hover over them until they produce… trust. And I promise you, next year - if you didn’t meddle with them and no squirrels eat the bulbs - you will have tulips. Beautiful reminders of the faithfulness of our Creator!
