So, I very zealously signed up for the yearbook task for our homeschool group, Classical Conversations. Mike is pretty good at them, and I thought it would be fun. Which it was. However, ordering makes me so INCREDIBLY NERVOUS!!! I had to collect the money, which in hindsight I probably would have done at the beginning of the year, or at least not at the end. I had to count the money :) and I still need to deposit it. So, I set a deadline so that Mike and I would get it done, and of course the deadline came and went, but at least we knew that it came and went and so we were working somewhat feverishly to get it completed so that it could be ordered and the year would be wrapped up in a pretty book. SO...Monday and Tuesday nights were very late because we were working, but last night...I did the deed. I ordered the book. I had boosted confidence after some of the ladies were like, "Ali, order it. We don't care if there are mistakes and typos...just go ahead and order it!" Hooray, I will. So, I came home after another evening out and finished a few things and then proceeded to order the book. First of all, Shutterfly is an excellent site as far as customer service. They are available until 9:00 Pacific time...that's midnight here, HIP HIP HOORAY! So, I had to call someone because Mike was asleep (although I did make him wake up to kill a roach...no judgements please) and they are so nice, even at 11:45. One person was in Charlotte and then when I called back I got someone in Arizona. I found myself a little weird as I was waiting on things to save and whatnot, and there was a little bit of silence. I was like, "So, is it busy this late? Where are you anyway? Do you mind waiting until I finish my transaction or do you need to go?" It was a little strange. So, I got them ordered and finally tried to settle down and go to sleep. Which, was nearly impossible because I had just been with a bunch of other moms talking about school stuff and then the yearbook had me all keyed up...then there is a wedding this weekend...a food show next week...my brain wouldn't stop. Then, I thought that there was a spider on my pillow (strange dream? or fear that my half asleep husband wasn't quite the pest control man I needed him to be earlier in the evening). So, it was bad sleep which was stinky news because the night before I had gotten no sleep. So, I suppose I had finally fallen into somewhat of a sleep and then I popped alive with this thought, "Kimberly ordered 2 yearbooks...I only ordered one for her! DANG IT ALL!!!" So, then I couldn't do anything but lay there and recalculate and figure out what would happen. So, all I could do was wait until Shutterfly was available to help me in this teeny debacle. So, after a short nap on the couch where I did some awesome half asleep parenting I called Shutterfly. There is a 29 minute wait time. WHAT??? Did 753 other people make the same mistake? UGH...I was thinking of all of the things I could do while the phone was on speaker just listening to some awesome music when I thought, "I wish Jesus would give me a wait time." You realize how much more patient you are when you know, "How much longer." It's like the question of all times from the back seat, "Are we there yet?" Like, I can handle 29 minutes because I know what to expect. I can work with that. Then, to beat that they came on and said that they were experiencing longer wait times than usual and would I like to hold my place in line and have them call me back as soon as they were available. Sure! Why not? I'll get some things done around here and then they'll get back to me. Lord, you could totally learn something from Shutterfly. Look how calm and cool I am because they gave me information that I needed. Look how fine I am with waiting. I'm such a good waiter. You know, patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit, I must have gotten a double portion this morning from my nap. WHAT??? I suppose that defeats the purpose of TRUST. I suppose if the Lord said, "Hey, Ali, you've got a wait time of roughly 2 years on more children. Do something fun while you wait." I'd just wait patiently, like lazy river style...just enjoy the ride. Or, "Hey, Ali, you and Mike have about 1 more year of teaching and I'm going to move you on." Hey, alright...party on! We'll do it for Jesus! Go out with a bang, right? Right on! I could totally do that...and nothing would be worked out in me. I would remain probably the same. I would never look for His hand. I'd never seek His face...beg Him to reveal himself to me (Shutterfly just called me back!) I'd never struggle to be content with His right now. I'd never get creative with my wait time. I'd never wait again! I'd be a spoiled rotten tantrum throwing child of God. That's not necessarily a fragrant aroma to Christ, now is it? So, I'm off the phone now, and I couldn't just add a book, that would be super easy, but there is currently free shipping, and the books are on sale...and Robin (a man with a movie voice) said that he'd give me priority shipping so...what's a few more dollars right? When your Dad is the King of Kings. Hopefully I'll rest easy now. Until the next unexpected wait! I want to share one more thing with you while my children are not doing their school work and are happily playing something that will probably result in either a big mess or a creation that I need a power nap in order to listen to the explanation. Here's the verse...
Every night Mike reads to us from the New Testament. We are now in Galatians...that's a pretty awesome book. (Anson just brought me my Bible, update...they are playing restaurant. Hopefully no real food or water is participating...I should be folding laundry, unloading the dishwasher...or playing restaurant) So, last night we were reading from chapter 4. Listen to how this ends, I almost cried, "Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman." WHAT??? That struck a cord deep in my spirit. It was like cold water to my face. "Ali, you are not a slave. You don't come from a line of slaves. Your mother was Sarah...not Hagar...you are a child of the Promise...you are not children of the slave woman." Y'all...do you know how much differently that would cause one to live...cause one to wait. Knowing that you are free. I have been walking with God for roughly 16 years and still, freedom surprises me. I hope it surprises you, too. I am reading Uncle Tom's Cabin and I think that may be way it was a little bit more powerful. To picture how slaves are property of their master. They were considered only as valuable as their bodies and even considered soulless. I don't know what slaves were like in the time when Paul was writing, but I'm sure it wasn't a much prettier version if prettier at all. So, now I do have some things to do. I have to get our sub for Sunday School lined up, do all the other stuff and walk like a free woman...it's going to be a great day!
