Winner, winner…

Lately, I’ve been thinking back to a much busier time in my life.  Remembering four little boys horsing around and the fun of wrapping the day to day events of our family into an educational experience. Now, unexpectedly, thousands of parents are able to share in the joys and frustrations of at-home learning.  This was not the case in 1995.   

As a “Type A” personality, homeschooling was right up my alley.  I thrive on deadlines, making lists and meeting goals.  I love being a mom, and spending oodles of time together certainly provided lots of great memories including some of the best adventures in our little pop-up trailer.

One particular weekend we arrived at our campsite with a van full of excited kids, supplies, food and of course well laid plans.  If the kids would just cooperate, their dad and I could pop up the tent, unload everything and set up camp.

This didn’t seem like a lot to ask, but if you have ever spent time with children you know that they are primarily little make-work projects. 

“I need a drink.”

“He hit me.”

“I’m hungry.”

I knew it was getting close to mealtime so I tried to stave off their hunger with fruit using my famous “have an apple” response and rushed madly to get things set up and stay on schedule.  Dinner could not happen until we were all ready.  I had a plan.

Finally we unloaded the van and put away the food.  I pulled out my neatly handwritten menu and examined it with pride and anticipation.  Every meal, every snack outlined in detail.  It was neatly printed, headings underlined in red.

The boys watched impatiently as their dad searched through the gear for the barbecue lighter.  Finally, lighter in hand, he opened the barbeque and Voila!  A chicken.  From last summer! 

Although there was no smell, the inside of the barbeque clearly indicated it had housed a good sized hen for the last ten months.  There was no saving this barbecue, or the chicken for that matter.

My meticulous plan was no help at all.  I felt so frustrated!  All of my hard work was designed to avoid chaos but instead of a well-organized   “Dinner Day 1” we faced a trip to town with a bunch of hungry kids in search of a hardware store and Plan B for supper.

Are you like me?  Are you rattled when things don’t go the way you anticipated? Do you desperately long to know the next step?

I wonder if we’ve been tricked into believing that we knew what the days and years ahead would look like.  We did a lot of careful planning for our futures and made assumptions of how they would be.  Enter the year 2020.  Not one of us saw this coming, or can predict with any accuracy what lies ahead.  It’s an unsettling feeling for this “Type A” girl over here.

Listen, sister, we never really knew what the future held.  People have always made clever plans that sometimes ended in bitter disappointment.  Saving for retirement only to never see it, counting years at jobs that end earlier than expected. Sometimes life changes in ways we can’t predict.

In the midst of this COVID-19 world, it seems like we have never been so constantly reminded that we are not in control.  But do you know what?  We know who is.

So here’s some truth for today. Keep this circling in your brain and remember it when you are rattled.
Deuteronomy 31:6
 “Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.”