Recently, I started reading a book that swept me right away into another world — in a way that’s become more rare since I stopped being a teenager and started being a busy adult. Or maybe it was just the book.
Anyway, I was bound and determined to finish it before going hiking with a friend. But I have this sister. Who wanted help making guacamole. (Stick with me here: there is a point).
Now, she’s a capable young lady, it was a simple meal, and she didn’t really need my help. So why did she insist on dragging me away from my book? She got a rather grumpy me.
That evening, it came to my attention that my sister hadn’t been interested in my help so much as she was in my company. Oh! And she liked having me around, grumpiness and all.
Amazing.
But that’s not all.
Over the past year, I’ve been doing rather a lot of waiting. I knew already that uncertainty is just God’s way of getting my attention. But as the waiting lengthened and multiplied and developed wholly unthought-of new permutations, it seemed that God liked my attention rather more than I’d expected.
He was getting it. But it was grumpy!
But thanks to my sister’s Jesus-like example, I began to realize something new.
God loves my attention. My undivided attention. And yes, even my grumpy attention. Because He loves me.
Under the strong blaze of that, my grumpiness began to melt away and clear off, and a deep, puzzling peace took its place.
And now all I can think is this bit of a hymn:
What WONDROUS love is this.
Elisabeth Adams 