I rearranged the box on the bench seat of the moving truck to better hear and see my son as he drove. “I haven’t had a chance to ask how you’re doing with your brother’s move.”
“I never knew I could feel so many different emotions at the same time.” He shook his head. “I’m happy for him, excited, sad, disappointed.”
Kenneth and his twin, Brian, had worked in the same small school district for a couple of years. Although assigned separate offices and building responsibilities, often when I talked with them during the work week they were in the same place. They worked on projects together, covered for each other when sick. They even donated hours to each other as needed to put in 40 hours per week per person.
New Beginnings
Now Brian had taken a job with lower stress that required a move to another community. We had delighted in how they were able to share their lives, even through the birth of Brian’s first child. But now, that would change. The distance wouldn’t be that great, really, but we both knew it would affect how often we saw Brian and his young family.
“What has God been teaching you lately, Mom?” I paused, then gave him some answer he had already heard about asking God to help me with my work each day to meet deadlines.
Holding Loosely
That night on the couch, body spent from the long day of moving, I realized what God and I had been working on. I had just finished reading Of Fire and Lions, a novel based on the book of Daniel. Like Belili, I needed to learn to hold my family loosely and cling to God above all else.
The details are vastly different, but in the end it’s about attitude. Placing God first and wanting his best over our own desires. The theme, Is God enough for us in all circumstances?, runs throughout the book of Daniel, as Daniel and his friends follow and worship God and God alone.
Three times a day he [Daniel] got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” Daniel 6:10, 16
Belili learned and experienced God’s provision in her life as she turned to Him. May we also turn our hearts toward God, seeking Him to be enough, no matter what we face.
