Last night, my boys had beans so I did what any mommy of bean-filled children does on a nice night: we went to the park!
At this particular park, we typically park on the street because its parking lot is on another planet.
We played, we swung, we had a mah-velous time.
As the time came to leave, my boys took off running toward the car. My competitive boys were racing because, of course. As they got closer to the car, I realized that while Finn knows well enough to stop at the car and not run into the road, Jonas may not.
The worst case scenario ran quickly through my mind and my 35 1/2 week pregnant body started trying to walk a little bit faster. Let's be honest, I hadn't moved that quickly in weeks.
Before I could trick my body into a full blown trot, a beautiful thing happened.
Jonas fell.
I caught up to him quickly, picked him up, and wiped his tears. As I did these things, I thanked God that my son had fallen.
Because even though he had gotten a little hurt, it could have been so much worse.
He fell in the soft grass when he could have fallen on the harsh and unforgiving pavement of the street. I hate even going there in my mind, but he could have been hit by a car.
He suffered a minor wound and was spared a potentially mortal one. That fall, however unpleasant, was a blessing.
Naturally, it made me think about how God allows negative things into our lives. Because He is all good and all loving, it is vital to see our own falls in the grass as pockets of grace that save us from far worse fates.
These past few months have not been the easiest our family has ever seen. There have been stressors of many kinds: financial, physical, emotional, spiritual. It has been easy to become discouraged and beaten down.
Then I remind myself of Who God is: in His very nature He makes no mistakes and everything that comes from Him is overflowing with love, and I cannot despise these difficult days.
Last night's fall o'Jonas reminded me that God will often allow soft trips in the grass, if it helps us to avoid death in the street.
He will allow a heartache if it will prevent a mistake that can't be taken back. He will allow a disappointment if it will prevent a lifelong regret. He will allow a failure if it will prevent us from falling away from Him.
When I look at myself and my circumstances, I see some hard stuff. When I look at Him and His goodness, I see only situations that will arise to bring Him glory.
