Let me just say that if you have not had the opportunity to take a 10-year-old to school every morning you probably have not engaged in the “random” conversations that I have. I was taking “4th grade” Liza to school this morning and as she is in the back seat she says, “You know Mimzy I am not looking forward to the first day of 5th grade."
Now, just to be clear, there are about three months until she starts 5thgrade. She continues to tell me how she is worried about her sister, Lottie, who will move to a new school (Liza's school) next year when she starts 3rd grade. She proceeds to tell me the first day of 5thgrade will seem so very long and she does not like first days. She also is sure Lottie will not like the first day of 3rd grade because she will not know where to go since it's all new to her. She tells me how she and Lottie (as she speaks for Lottie) don't like first days because they won't know who their teachers will be, what the schedule is, and who will be in their class. She tells me she likes it better on the 2nd day because she knows what is happening.
I tell her I’m like that too. Really, I didn’t think about what I was saying, because honestly I was just keeping the conversation going. She then said it’s like when we go to the beach (subject change), it takes so long to get there but then not that long to get home. I again agreed with her.
I dropped her off at school and as I was pulling out God immediately spoke to my heart. He reminded me how I really am like Liza. I have a fear of the unknown, I like to know the “plans,” I don't like changes or surprises, and I dread the long rides even though they take me where I need to be. God gently said to me it’s the experiences in everyday life that you must recall, use, and learn from.
I started thinking about “events” in our lives. We celebrate the event of a birth of child. We wait nine months to get there, but we still celebrate the outcome of those nine months. If you are a believer, death is really a celebration as well. We know we will see our loved ones again. However, the experiences that happen between life and death are what we need to learn from and remember.
Liza doesn’t realize that she has five previous years of “first days” that she has survived and can draw on those experiences to help her get through the next “first days” in her life. We all have those experiences that we can remember, bad and good.
We can recall the good experiences where we trusted God and He was the One who walked us through that “first day.” But we also have those experiences where we might not have made the decision based on what God wanted for us. We might have made that decision based on our mood, emotions, circumstances, or just selfishness. They might not have been what we considered “good” days.
Again, those are experiences that we must learn from. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to learn from our experiences. We don’t know how many years we have between birth and death – only God does. Our responsibility is to live our lives experiencing the daily presence and provisions of God and making sure we share what we learn with others.
Another thing I thought of from my conversation with Liza is how I sometimes (maybe a lot of times) dread upcoming things in my life. I can let the anticipation of planned events and also unknown situations make me fearful. I mean really, I’m a lot like Liza. She has at least three months before her first day of 5th grade and she is already thinking about it. I do the exact same thing.
I worry and fret over things or happenings that are not even here yet. I need to remind myself that my expectations do not need to be on future things. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. God provides all that we need for today.
I’m sure my life would be so much less stressful and have so much less worry in it if I totally lived every moment expectantly trusting HIM. I can trust Him to provide what I need for the day that I am presently walking through. We should all live each day depending on God for all that we need because HE is enough.
The last thing I thought about was Liza saying the ride to get to the beach was so long. I find myself thinking that same thought about so many things lately, and honestly, it makes my day, drive, and life in general seem so long. I am always looking ahead to the next thing I “have” to do when I should be looking at the next thing I “get” to do today.
I realize when I live my life like that, I miss so many things that God wants me to see and so many opportunities where He wants to use me. I don’t want to be like that!
I want to enjoy each day, each moment, each relationship, and allow God to lead me, knowing He is enough for every circumstance I face. I hate to think how many opportunities I have missed when I am dreading the “drive." I am thankful that I have the opportunity to take Liza to school. Some days we ride quietly, some days we laugh, some days she cries, but God always uses her to speak to me through her words and actions.
My encouragement to you today is to learn from your experiences, whether good or bad, knowing God is always there. Live believing God is enough. Expect God to be there in every situation and in every little thing. Enjoy each and every moment of the day because we are not guaranteed tomorrow. My new motto might just be “experience life, live expectantly, and enjoy the ride.” And, if you have the opportunity, take a 10-year-old to school. You might be surprised by what God teaches you on the drive.
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Jill Johnson, a staff member at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother and Georgian. She is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
