16 Mar The Gift of an Ordinary Wednesday

Today I awoke to my son’s voice speaking my name. Each morning he squashes up his little body next to the door of his room and yells loudly to whoever will hear him, pleading for release.

I pad softly over to his door, hair tangled and eyes still bleary from sleep. I open his door and see his smiling face looking up at me, already full of mischief at 7am. I scoop him up and snuggle him long. It’s the beginning of an ordinary Wednesday and I am already gifted with life, breath, and love from my littlest one.

The Gift of Little Awakenings

On this ordinary Wednesday, I make breakfast and feed my children. We open the Word of God and read about Jesus being mocked while he hung on the cross by people who said things like, “If He is really the Messiah, let Him come down from the cross.” One of my children reflects that if He had responded to their voices and come down, we would not be saved from our sins.

And in between the sounds of my son making vroom noises with his trucks and singing his own little songs, we pause and give thanks that He endured the Cross for us.

Twenty minutes pass. Two of my children begin to squabble about a minor infraction and one of them speaks hurtful words to the other. There are tears shed and their little hearts turn away from one another. I stop washing the dishes.

We talk about how they feel. Wrong is acknowledged and forgiveness is extended. Little hearts turn back towards each other and embrace and on this ordinary Wednesday, I witness the gift of reconciliation in my living room.

The Sound of Growth

It’s time for school! I teach one of my daughters the difference between antonyms and synonyms and she has fun making up funny pairings and groups of words. My five year old remembers that “ou” makes the “ow” sound and learns that because she can add 2 + 5 she can also add 20 + 50. My fourth grader struggles with a math problem and grows frustrated, but perseveres.

And as we scramble to get out the door in time for our gymnastics class, I see that one of them isn’t ready. My voice grows loud and harsh and my words turn punitive and demanding. And as soon as the words leave my mouth, my heart drops as I see that she just needs my help.

As I pause and crouch down and look in her eyes, I can see that I have hurt her. I ask for her forgiveness for my harsh words and on an ordinary Wednesday, my daughter extends grace to me.

As we make the ten minute drive to gymnastics I think about how a plant grows – slowly enough that we cannot just sit still and watch it happen, but fast enough that even after a few days, we may see a new bud or blossom emerge.

And I smile knowing that if I have ears to hear it, there is the sound of growth happening all around me, all the time. Because God’s Spirit is at work in and around me, even an ordinary Wednesday is truly extraordinary.

Can you hear the sound of growth in your life? In your family? In your community? Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear that we might recognize the extraordinary work you are doing in the context of our ordinary days.