On Mother’s Day

We are quite busy around here these days in preparation for our transition back to the USA for the next two month. There are many details to think of and accomplish mixed in with daily life.

The kids are attempting to finish strong at school, but the temptation to relax before it is time is a strong pull. So keeping the kids on task requires a lot of energy going in different directions.

In addition to the daily stuff, we are also dealing with the out of the ordinary stuff. For example, on Mother’s Day, while looking for our dog that had escaped from our yard, Matthew decided to experiment with the laws of physics while on his bicycle. He ended up receiving two stitches in his leg and a sprained arm for his efforts. Conveniently, his experiments were conducted while Scott was away in yet another foreign country.

Paul attended a birthday party on the same day as Matthew’s experiments that nearly put me in the psyche ward from getting him there. When I was a kid I had a reoccurring nightmare of either driving or being in a vehicle that was going up very steep hills only to topple over backwards. Well, I thought I was going one place for the party only to find out when I reached the place on the map that I still had 15 more kilometers to go and it was up a very steep part of the nearby mountain. I found myself on an unknown road with only concrete treads for the tires and red mud down the middle and to the sides as the path grew steeper and more winding. (We are now in the rainy season!) I am greatly appreciative to one of the father’s of Paul’s friend who reassured me through his own concerns for the drive and helped me properly use the tools that were available to me in our 4WD.

I did survive my trip back down the mountain and believe it or not cried most of the way home.

I believe I wept for a lot more than the steepness of the mountain and have since reflected on a couple of things. Twice in one day I was faced by a crisis. And both times I wish I would have had time to consult the manual—car manual for 4WD instruction and the first aid manual for Matthew’s injuries. Because technology isn’t my thing and stitches make me woozy—I usually pass these opportunities off to others. (I nearly fainted at the hospital after it was all over while I was paying. That was a sight!) I am perfectly content to let someone else be the hero. This time I had no choice and no time to consult a manual and decisions had to be made in spite of my inabilities and fears.

How often do we really not know how to utilize the power of the tools for a situation that is before us? Our 4WD had the power to “do that mountain”! It was designed that way. First aid dressings and medicines are designed to be used in medical crises, and God is the power behind the tools He has given us! It is really up to me to know the manual if I’m going to drive the car!

May the Lord be praised that Matthew received great care in a foreign hospital, that we weren’t injured because of my not using the tools, and that I am not being visited by my friends in the psyche ward!

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11