Faithfulness

My Dad posted this quote earlier today on Facebook:

Jesus looks out for faithful men, and He fixes His eyes upon them, to observe them, to bring them forward, to encourage them, and to reward them. Let no truehearted man think that he is overlooked; the King Himself has His eye upon him.
C. H. Spurgeon

Someone commented “Wow, good one.” And that’s all I could think. Wow.. I derived from that quote two things. One, He is faithful to me. Two, am I faithful to Him? I was so convicted when I read that. In the department of faithfulness I’ve failed miserably.

I work in a library. A quiet, small library where I’m responsible for shelving the books. My job is secluded and serene. (Most of the time). Though sometimes I’m ready to walk out and never come back, this job gives me thinking time. Time for me to walk around as slowly or as quickly as I want without being bothered and just think. Let my mind wander.

Lately, well I say lately, my Dad has really struggled with his job situation. Meaning, he hates it. And I don’t blame him. Day in day out with the same ungrateful people who give him no respect. It hurts me, but it hurts him a lot more. We took our family vacation last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee where my dad’s sister moved when she remarried an incredible man. He is strong in the Lord and an encouragement to me and my family probably more than he knows. This man ministered to my dad to stay strong in the Lord and to see His will for him and our family.

When my mind was wandering here in the library yesterday, my thoughts wandered to my dad. I was thinking about how much I didn’t want to be here at work and how much I wanted to quit when I thought of him. He leaves our house at 5:30 every morning and gets home about 5, sometimes later. He’s there with loud machines and people who don’t lift him up. All day. I complain working here for three hours a day! My dad is faithful. Faithful to that job because he knows he has 4 girls to support. One heading to middle school, another off to college, and one getting married.

Faithfulness. I’ve heard this word a lot this week. On the radio a Christian artist explained how God told him to be faithful. So he was. And God was faithful back! So why do we struggle with that so much? If we’re faithful to God and His will He will surely be faithful to us. Like He always is.

So dad, if you’re reading this, take heart in that quote you posted and trust that something big is coming. Expect rain. Expect a huge thunderstorm. Expect something a lot bigger than yourself because it’s coming. And when it does, we’ll all be in awe.

Tennessee Family

Since last Sunday evening we’ve been here in Chattanooga, TN. I’ve loved every second. I’ve done things I’ve never done before and spent precious time with our chaotic family. Yesterday we went white water rafting. I was so afraid and scared I would topple out of that $8,000 raft and never get back to it, but I never fell out and it was one of the most fun experiences I have ever had! Last night, my sister got a tattoo. Yes. A tattoo. I plan on getting one today if they have an opening. (Pray for me! Shel said it hurts.) I’ve been tubing down this relaxing river with all of my family and eaten at a German themed restaurant. I’ve eaten breakfast every morning and been woken up by a cloud of family members in the kitchen.

There are mountains covered in tall trees with tons of shades of green. The roads are winding everywhere you go. We’re two hours from everything: Nashville, Atlanta, rafting, tubing, Birmingham… Everything is cheaper. Houses are huge and gorgeous. Acres of land are cheaper. Family is here. Family alone is a good enough reason to pick up and move 10 hours away from where I’ve been for 19 years of my life.

Every single one of us has been in this house for a week or more. Every single one of us has had the time of our lives exploring this new town and the surrounding areas. We’ve all enjoyed making fun of each other and being loud and dancing and singing and driving way too fast on these scary curves. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to go back to reality. Anticipating this vacation I didn’t think it’d be anything like a vacation. We’re staying in our cousins’ house in a town we’ve never been too. There’s no beach to go to everyday, there’s no snow to ski in. But there are rivers, creeks, hiking, shopping. But most of all there’s FAMILY. I guess what I’m trying to get at is that it doesn’t matter where your vacation is. It’s who you’re vacationing with.

If you know anything about my family you know we’re loud and chaotic. We’re big and you’ll know where we are when we’re there. I love them and I would never ever trade them for anyone or anything.

Family

Being a visitor in the hospital can feel like you’re isolated from the whole world. Like the entire outside world has ceased to move forward and is stuck in time. In most of the waiting rooms there are no windows save a TV that lets you into the media world. You may not see the sunlight for several hours at a time and may find your body tense and uncomfortable in the vinyl chairs. No matter how many things you bring to do nothing will make you feel more relaxed and comfortable than close family.

I’ve been extremely blessed with a big, Christian family who supports one another no matter what is going on. If my fairly new fiance were to have an accident and find himself in the hospital for hours or even days, you can bet my boisterous family would be there, snacks and all, to support him in his recovery.

My pawpaw is a quiet man, to say the least. Mimi runs ship around here. That’s not a bad thing! She’s a strong, independent woman who knows what to do and when to do it. The thing about pawpaw is, he knows her. He loves her. That makes us love him despite his non-blood relation. He knows his grandchildren and loves us. My pawpaw takes the smallest kids and lets them climb on his legs and do flips. He sits with them and watches old western movies. He does puzzles and plays cards. He collects Marlboro packages from the side of the road and wins prizes to give to us. (Disclaimer: He doesn’t smoke.) My pawpaw is a beautiful man. My grandparents’ strong relationship made me think they were invincible. They’ve never been admitted to the hospital. They’re healthy as horses and work in the yard, on their house and run a full time (THRIVING!) RV park. They love family. We have dinner all together at least once a month. Cousins are best friends and we don’t have to have reunions because we’re with each other all the time. We’re growing up and moving away but nothing will ever separate that bond of family. Though some live in Tennessee, Houston or Dallas, I feel as though we all live under the same roof. No matter where we are, we’re family. And we love each other. No cold, sterile hospital could make us feel otherwise.