Tripping Over Typeset

After days of continually going, I finally cleaned out my bag.

That bag is where everything gets jammed in for the day.  It’s a catch-all, hold-all and hope-I-don’t-forget bag.  It’s often my heavy-laden companion throughout the day.

As I sat down to unload and clean out the bag to reload again. I made a quick sweep across the bottom and gathered up empty gum wrappers and scattered paperclips.  My fingertips brushed along something else. I picked it up and held it still.

There it was… and my mind took me back to a day not long ago…

Plopping into the car with my heavy laden bag, I’m exhausted and worn from the day.

From the backseat Matt calls, “Hey Mom, I’ve got something for you!”

And his small hands hold a freshly picked flower.

“Hey, thanks Bud, I love it!  I’ll put it in water when we get home.”

But somewhere between there and here, the flower fell to the bottom of my bag and the contents of all I carry crushed the flower beneath.

It now lays dried out and fragile.

Where do my moments of busy-ness get me?

My intentions were true as I spoke the words to Matthew.

I did love the gift and I was intending to water the flower at home.  Yet as quickly as the words crossed my lips, the flower fell into my bag.

My thoughts went to the skyscraper of boxes piled in the basement. In one of those boxes laid a bud-vase to hold Matt’s gift.  An “ugh… more-to-do” guilt filled my thoughts and the flower fell further into the bag.

Holding the dried-up, fragile stem, my heart sinks with the sad thought of my own reality.

I had messed-up and missed out, but I didn’t have to stay that way.

In all our crazy, over-packed life we need grace.  We need grace for ourselves…and with ourselves.

We need to grant ourselves permission to slow down and rest.

We need His grace to push back the daily grind & rest in the promise He provides. (click to Tweet)

You are my strength, I watch for you;

You, God, are my fortress, my God in whom I can rely. ~ Psalm 59:9 (NIV)

Our bags of busy-ness get heavy.  We carry concerns, cares and calendar dates. We tuck them in and stack them up until we’re worn out and thrown about.

Matt’s flower was dried out, flat and crushed by all I carried that day.  I can’t get that moment back or place it in a vase for display.

But it lies on my desk as a reminder of the grace I need everyday.

We can mess up and miss out some days yet we don’t have to stay missing it.

The Psalmist writes:  “You are my strength, I watch for you.”

Throughout our days, God promises to be our strength.

Our part is to watch for Him and notice how He gives and provides.

On that day with Matt’s flower, God gave His reminder of grace through the gift of a small token from a boy I love.

Today, let’s see the beauty of grace He provides.  Let’s look for Him in the small and big ways.

He’s our strength, friends! Let’s watch and see!

Love and hugs to you, friends!

Have a great day!

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Linking up with: #IntentionalTuesday