He was right!

Some of you may have seen this note on Facebook. I wanted to re-post it here so that it can be part of our family's blog book.

Mark Blanke was right. I know you’re thinking one of two things, “No! That can’t be!” or “Who is Mark Blanke?” Well, Mark Blanke was a professor of mine at Concordia, Nebraska. He told me shortly before graduation that I was not people/relationship-oriented but that I was task-oriented. I looked at him, puzzled, and thought, “I’m going into an occupation FILLED with people. How can I not be people-oriented?” Turns out, he was right.

This became clear to me when I became a parent. It is even clearer now that my babies have become toddlers! Let me admit it now: I am task-oriented--a schedule-making clock-watcher.

Let me set the scene as to how this became so apparent today. I was inside making lunch for Eli and Micah. (The clock says it’s lunch time, what else would I be doing?) The kids are outside playing. The weather is beautiful, so the windows and doors to the house are all open. Suddenly, I hear a frantic, excited, “BUTTA!” I knew instantly that Micah had seen a butterfly. Okay, good. We saw that one in the yard a few minutes before I came inside. I then realized this shrieking was incessant, and close!

Out of character, I stopped preparing lunch and went outside to see what was going on. It was then that I noticed a beautiful Luna Moth on the ground near our back patio! I even took the time to get the camera and take a few pictures. But mostly, the kids and I just stood there together and watched the moth. We stood there together. Together, we marveled at our wonderful Creator-God and His creation. If they were just a little older, together we would have made a memory. That’s the point, isn’t it? Isn’t that why I stay home with these boys? Isn’t that why I’m here—to spend the time making memories with my children?

I’m certainly learning a lot from my kids. Today, while I am worried over the schedule next week (time change, spring break, and my parents visiting); my kids take joy in the leaves, sticks, squirrels and butterflies they see today—now. They don’t care what time the clock says. They don’t even know what a clock is! They only delight in the present.

Today’s experience makes the following Bible verse clearer to me, “Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34 ESV). Yes, today (and tomorrow) will have its own troubles and worries, but hopefully it will have a few butterflies as well!