Preparations

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my axe." ~ Abraham Lincoln

I love our little secrets

inside joke theophanies

where I giggle and cup my ear to listen

like playground telephone games

without the funny confusion

and the dusty rough-edged boys

who always changed it on purpose

reading Your word reminds me of cloud-gazing

where the shape of John the Baptist looks a little like me

a weird diet and What Not to Wear show waiting to happen

never really fitting in, wandering off alone

to dig his toes in the sand and think of You

somehow shy and a bold teacher all at once

he probably got those "What is that all about?" looks, too

our goal is the same

to prepare the way for You

I've always loved preparations

and perhaps my over-preparing was what pushed me over the line

from the "odd" or "special" column to the full-blown nerd
complete with home-made flashcards

appendix look-ups

and extra laps around the track

an extra credit junky

chasing the next fix of creative opportunity

Geeking out over preparing the way for others to shine

so they can morph into a closer image of what You have in mind

for them and through them

for my husband

the hidden hero

who is sometimes caught holding the wrong measuring tape

my daughter

who tries on things a little too big for her

and makes me smile

my family

who follow you all over the globe

and see suffering as just a little pop quiz

my friends

who know how to argue and agree

on You in a perfect teeter totter thrill ride

my pastors

who challenge and love us

with their patchwork quilt words of truth and grace

my team

who are so gifted and wise it freaks me out sometimes

and let me sit at the cool crowd table

my volunteers

who don't just squeeze serving in their calendars

but give their all to You

and all of this to really prepare the way

for You

and that cloud-gazing Kingdom playground

that whispers in my ear

and tells me

to keep loving You

in all the preparations.

"It is written in Isaiah the prophet:
'I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way
a voice of one calling in the desert,
Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.'"
Mark 1:2-3