Goodbye to the "Canned" Life

Charis . . . sitting in a chair that was "just her size" as she enjoyed her shopping date.

The days feel long and almost empty. It doesn't seem like one could dream of loneliness or emptiness with three pattering feet and one nursing baby.

But they are sometimes.

Sleepless nights turn into survival days and the joy goes out of them.

"When it's dark and it's cold, and I can't feel my soul - You are so good. When the world has gone gray and the rain is here to stay - You are still good . . . even then, it is well, and You are good." - Nicole Nordeman

His goodness never changes though my ability to see His goodness and enjoy His presence shifts with what surrounds me physically.

In seasons like these I am tempted to just concede to living the "canned life."

Canned food.
Dull school work.
Minimal chores.
Kid videos.
Walks to no where in particular.

About a day of that and I am driven to near insanity.

Its good to go there occasionally . . . just to remind me that I don't want a canned life. And I for sure don't want "canned kids." (Though it's a lot easier).

I want to raise some free spirits. Just the thought of it thrills me to my toes.

I much prefer mucking the chicken coop, cuttin' the grass, makin' some fresh food and watching my kids chase each other around the house, laughing themselves crazy.

I love when my four year old wants to go under the house to see the pipes and how everything works.

I love when my two year old tears up the lettuce for a salad while my nineteen month old sets the table with nineteen spoons and only two plates.

Life is good when mixed with a lot of hard work and a good balance of order.

I'm ready to shake off the burn-out state and breath into my kids a love of living.

God created so many good things to be enjoyed. It's a beautiful thing when the things He created keep pointing you back to Him, leaving you in awe of His goodness and in love of His person.

It melts my heart to hear Zeke say from the kitchen table, "Look at the sky, guys! Thank you God for making a pretty sky for us."

Can't imagine all that the new heavens and new earth will be. I hope we're busy working away, always in the radiant presence of our great God.