Constructing the goal

Do you have a fun holiday memory?  Our trip to the Dallas area last month still makes me smile, yet maybe in an unsuspecting way.  We drove to visit family and offered to help assemble their new basketball goal.  Outside temperature was in the 30s, so we opted for opening the big box in the garage.  My brother led the charge, my husband collaborated on tools and problem-solving, and my nephews and I at different times stood near to await our assignments.  Actually the “stood near” part is a loose term because some certain nephews who remain nameless here seemed to have a knack for disappearing from the work site.  Nevertheless, this was the only time I could remember us building something together, so I was excited.  Soon I’m chuckling at how motley a crew we are.  Emanating from one side of the garage, distinct sighs of boredom set in.  From another direction, a complaint:  “It’s cold!”  With my brother staying studious to the manufacturer’s instruction sheet, my husband asked, “Hey, do you have a rat-tail file?,” to which one nephew answered, “I have no idea what these tools are!”  I then hear a reprimand to another nephew for playing on his phone.  An adult chimes in, “Uh-oh, we skipped a step.”  Another, “How far back do we need to go?”  And really I’m still chuckling today because the task blew everybody’s cover.  Beyond any dressed-up, cleaned-up holiday presentation and without the hype of any fancy vacation, this rather mundane task of assembling a basketball goal had opened a door that I loved.  To work alongside, to find common purpose, to realize in the end that you actually don’t want to quit, even lamenting “Oh, man, we’re just now getting the hang of this!” is a true blessing.  To have discovered each other’s mechanical talents (or lack thereof), to have trudged together through one of those beleaguered trips to the hardware store to buy an additional ¼-inch tool, and to have laughed at ourselves for the honesty that’s inevitable in daily chores is actually precious insight.  Psalm 84:10 reminds us, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”  It was a Christmastime gift I wouldn’t trade.  Thank you, Lord, for opening our eyes when You bestow blessings.  And thanks to my sister-in-law for hot chocolate, knit caps, and warm gloves that day.

A different optometry

I love surprises like this.  No ordinary appointment today.  Having become suspicious of some blurry vision, I visited the optometrist.  Asking him how he’d been doing, I learned about his dad’s health, which prompted a story of his dad’s life that included the Korean War.  What an inspiration to hear of this man’s care of people and love of life, though now very weak and ill of health.  The optometrist offered an earnest request for prayer, to which I was honored to respond.  So there in the office, we prayed together.  We prayed aloud.  We encountered some tearful moments that don’t enter every optometric visit.  The Lord bestowed a tender vulnerability with purpose above and beyond any physical ailment of my eyes.  The larger need involved more of a spiritual optometry, you might say.  First Peter 3:15 tells us, “. . . Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have . . .”  This day I was called to answer in prayer, sharing encouragement and our hope that is Christ.  For you, I ask the Lord to let you experience the joy of His surprises.  May He give new awareness of His purposes for your life.