I have made a discovery. I know its nothing new or original but for me, it's a potent reminder. I have discovered that when your memories get triggered by certain stimuli, it is usually not the ones you think would be very moving or momentous...certainly wouldn't make a good flashback movie. The things you remember are often chores you did day after day, or meals you ate day after day, not to mention the familiar scenery that you were surrounded by for so many years, that seemed so mundane and boring. But what I have found is that in hindsight, you get to see everything with fresh eyes, to watch it from afar and realize that the days you were just living normally WAS in fact significant to your subconscious heart and mind.
For example, I made dinner tonight and it was pancakes and eggs (I don't know what it is about pancakes, maybe because we had them so much growing up). The aroma of the pancakes, syrup, and cooked eggs took me back to Saturday mornings when we had spent the early hours loading up pigs for the butcher, or doing some extra chores like building new animal pens and finally around mid-morning, ravenous and filthy, we would sit down to a late brunch of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and other deliciousness. Usually my mom would have the baby in her lap as we ate and would be doing double duty. Then, Dad would get his Bible out and we would have devotions. Sitting there stuffed and a little sleepy after the morning's work, so many minds being filled up with even better things than we had just filled our stomachs with.
Which brings me to the other example. Family Devotions. I was deciding the other day what to start reading next for my devotions when I decided that I would read through the Psalms and Proverbs just like Dad had done so many times with us. And lo and behold, as soon as I began to read the 1st chapter of Proverbs, I heard my dad's voice reading it out loud. It was so weird and yet so comforting too. I could even remember some of his commentary on it as well. It got me thinking about all of those early mornings we were dragged ruthlessly out of bed to participate in devotions before Dad went to work. I, being more of a morning person than some of my siblings, didn't often succumb to dozing off, but I spent my share of mornings in a rather drowsy, stupefied state. Yet, despite that, I could remember things that my dad had said as I flipped through the pages of Kings, Chronicles, the Gospels, and other books in the Bible. I could even picture us sitting there, still in our pajamas, Dad leaned over one arm of the chair holding his Bible in the light of the lamp. So, I guess what this means is that if you are faithful to keep on doing something, day in and day out, it WILL make an impact and difference.
So, I know most people reading this are thinking, "Ok, we get it, you had a perfect childhood and perfect parents. Enough with the sentimental posts, just give us the facts ma'am." Well, here are the facts: I am here in Korea for some reasons known to me and others that are not. I am here to learn and grow hopefully. And one of the things I am learning is that I should live in every moment as if it were as precious as gold. I am learning that time spent in service to your family is not time wasted but is the thing you remember and cherish most. If I could go back and relive some of those moments, I would view them and embrace them with a completely new attitude. I didn't have a perfect childhood or the perfect parents but I did have a God-filled childhood and faithful parents who sought to instill His truth inside me. Looking back, I should have thanked my parents each and every day for their willingness to do what most people won't but I regretfully did not. SO now, I want to say "THANK YOU MOM AND DAD, FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS TO GOD AND TO YOUR CHILDREN. YOUR LOVE AND DEVOTION FOR ALL THESE YEARS HAS NOT COME BACK VOID." It is a tribute to my parents that despite numerous challenges and obstacles, they have kept on keeping on.
I guess what I have to say is this: It's the small things done for the Kingdom that will endure. Sometimes when we see a big structure, we admire the smooth lines, the flawless structure. But what we didn't see were the little adjustments made to make it so. A beam moved slightly to the right, a few bricks tapped into plumb, an angle narrowed by a 1/2 an inch. These are the things that ultimately make the building what it is. And so it is with small things done faithfully; they will have the greatest impact on the outcome. It is why they are remembered and cherished. So just as I took encouragement and exhortation from my memories, let me voice some encouragement as well. Keep on being faithful. You may not see the fruit for many years or maybe never at all but I believe that God's promise is true. His Word will never come back void; service done in His Name, no matter how small, will accomplish His purpose and will be rewarded.
Sorry for sounding preachy in this post. I don't want to sound pompous or holier-than-thou. However, this is a blog for what is happening on the inside and outside of my life so I can only keep reporting.
Faithfully, V
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