Just keep swimming

“just keep swimming, just keep swimming….what do we do, we swim, swim, swim.” Dory the Fish. I know you all just read that in Dory’s voice, or at least I did as I was typing it, but it’s a good description as to where I feel we are right now. We have made the big announcement that we are adopting, we made the announcement that we are moving, we even rented a storage unit and took a load down last weekend (it was rainy, and miserable) and now we just keep swimming.

We just keep taking it one day at a time. Our super cute 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, corner lot great location home with 1,876 square feet with amazing natural light, and freshly painted kitchen and bathroom cabinets is on the market (link provided at the bottom just in case). We are waiting for viewings for our current home, for the right buyer to come along and make an offer, we are waiting to find our new forever home in Hot Springs, and we are waiting to complete the transition. This time requires faith, something I am currently lacking, or at least it feels this way. I am just swimming day to day, going about my normal routine, expect for the fact that nothing feels normal.

I know my time is limited in the Siloam Springs High School’s field house, I know I have limited baseball, softball, and soccer games left to watch and cover, I know I will soon have new athletes in a new school. For as normal as it seems on the outside it is quite the opposite on the inside. I find myself wanting to swim in a certain direction or to catch the East Australian Current and be in new place ready to complete my objective, but I am just swimming.

Waiting still accomplishes something, it accomplishes opportunities to have more faith. Waiting accomplishes the possibility of challenges, hopefully it’s less painful than swimming through a jelly fish field, but challenges mean my faith will have to strengthen and grow. I admit just typing that I have a knot in the pit of my stomach, which is just one more opportunity to take a few moments and turn my anxieties, stress, and worries over to the All Mighty.

This evening in small group we visited the story of Martha and Mary. Two sisters who were hosting Jesus and other guests. Martha was working like a mad woman to make sure everyone’s immediate needs were met, while Mary was plopped down at the feet of Jesus listening to what He was saying. Martha, exasperated I am sure, walks up to Jesus and basically says “Look at all that I have done, look at how hard I am working for you and others while Mary just sits at your feet, will you please ask her to get up and help?”, Jesus’s reply is “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice and it will not be taken away from her” Luke 10:41-42.

I am not a theologian by any means, but I picture Jesus reaching for Martha’s hand or at the very least speaking these words to Martha as softly as he could, not to call her out on the mis-order of her priorities, not to chastise her, but to calm her, to slow her down so she can see there are others things more important. Actually “one thing is necessary”, we only need one thing in life, Christ. I am sure Jesus was grateful for the work she was doing, but Martha was allowing that work to be placed before the important fact that she was in the presence of Jesus. Jesus is physically in this woman’s home, and she is losing it, I tend to be a Martha, so I totally get this feeling. I understand on a deep level the need and desire that Martha must of been feeling to make sure everything went smoothly, but Jesus wanted Martha to recognize the significance of being in His presence. Jesus wanted Martha to focus her attention on Him and the significance of who He is, and not on if the place settings looked good. This was a good reminder that in the midst of all that I have going on, I only truly need on thing, Jesus. So while waiting is hard, and while the Martha in me wants to do all that I can to ensure that it all goes as smoothly and efficient as possible, I am missing out on the presence and significance of Jesus. I am missing out on significance of the time I have left in Siloam with my athletes, coaches, co-workers, and friends. I learned that I need to slow down and sit at the feet of Jesus, to just enjoy His presence, He will take care of the rest.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/880-Primrose-Ave-Siloam-Springs-AR-72761/70720823_zpid/