Monday, December 05, 2011

When Love Shows Up

When a person is trudging through mud, day after day, a person gets tired.  When a person is trudging through mud, and falls into the deep part and gets mud up their nose, it's so awful that when they are finally back up and trudging through mud again, they forget that trudging through mud is tiring, so thankful are they to have finally blown all the mud out of their nose. But a few miles later, they're exhausted, and faltering and it dawns on them, This Is Mud. And I'm Still Trudging.

And then they cry. A lot.

And then they get a note from a friend that says "You're doing great in that mud. Keep going."  And another friend says, "That mud is worthwhile mud. Keep going."  And another friend sends stickers and says, "Sticker charts aren't dumb at all. Keep going.*" 

And in one day, a person trudging through mud remembers that the journey is not unseen, is not for naught, is not without its rewards and that maybe even Jesus is watching.  And that person trudges on, deeply grateful to be so well-loved.

*A person trudging through mud might decide that a sticker chart is the only motivation they need to stop throwing mud at the people trudging through mud beside them, an action that probably makes falling into the deep part and getting mud up the nose a lot more likely.

1 comment:

Sarah said...

Oh, how I love this post. Isn't it just so freaking amazing how much mud there is in life? Who knew?!?!

I am sorry that there's so much trudging for you right now, but I'm glad, that at the very least, your nose is clean. Just think: in trudging, you are being SUCH a good role model for your kiddos. And, since you are, as I am, someone who doesn't mind sharing details about mud-filled sinuses, your children will see that there is beauty in a muddied face.

LOVE this post. Thank you. It's like a pretty present that I'm going to wrap with tissue paper and tie with a string and put in my pocket. Actually, no. When I put things in my pocket my butt looks bigger, and as I have been spraying cans of whipped cream directly into my mouth quite often these days, my butt doesn't need any more illusions of bigness. But I'll put your post present in my purse. XO!