Finding Our Way

Yesterday morning, while shaving Edward, I had the thought that I should probably teach him how to do this on his own—with an electric shaver. While I love helping him, and he loves being helped, there may be a time where he'll have to do this on his own. I did try to teach him how to use an electric razor when he was a teenager, but he was terrified of the buzzing. I'm sure he'd be good with it now.

Later in the day I asked Edward if he wanted to help me barbecue. Immediately he jumped to my side and I walked him through the process. I showed him how to handle and spice the raw chicken, uncover and light the barbecue, place the meat on the grill, flip it, and put on the BBQ sauce. I spent quite a bit of time showing him how to use a spatula—how you need to do a series of short, quick pushes to get under the meat so that you didn't shove it to the back of the grill. Every step of the way Edward was right beside me. I don't think I've ever seen him this attentive for this long. I found my attentiveness was matching his. Even though it took twice the time, this had to be one of my most memorable BBQing experiences.

For most of my vocational life I've been too busy to regularly dedicate this kind of time and attention to Edward. But now, this might be exactly what I'm being called to. After a year of lowering my vocational expectations, and putting down all my world-changing dreams, maybe this is precisely where God is calling me to invest my energies.

"My heart is not proud, Lord,

    my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters

    or things too wonderful for me.

But I have calmed and quieted myself,

   I am like a weaned child with its mother;

    like a weaned child I am content."

Psalm 131:1-2

I keep thinking that walking with Edward in all of the ordinary things of his life could be a beautiful way to see God walking with me in mine.