Sacred Mundane: The Blog

I almost don’t know where to start because the cup of my heart is overflowing and it won’t just pour out in a neat little spout, it’s just running out all over the place.  My heart is full.  I do have a migraine right now (I think we’re going to name this baby Migraina or Migraino depending upon the gender), but I’m so blessed it kind of doesn’t matter.  On the one hand I will say this, moving with a toddler, while pregnant, is not advisable. 🙂  I asked Jeff last night, “Why is it that this move seems 100 times harder than any other we’ve done?” (we’ve moved 8 times in a little over 5 years).  I knew it wasn’t pregnancy because we moved while I was pregnant last time.  Ah! Then the light went on.  Dutch!  It is my 20-month old wild man who is causing the challenge!  It is a blessed, hilarious, sweet, wouldn’t-trade-it-for-a-moment challenge but it is a challenge nonetheless. Last time we moved Dutch was immobile. Ah but now.  Now!  It is an adventure!  Then little Migraina/Migraino decides to make his/her presence known, and alas, the boxes are taunting me with their still-full state.

But, I am blessed!  I feel like I’ve gone to the relational chiropractor and had them aligned.  Let me explain.  First, my parents.  If you only know me through this blog, which has only existed for a year, perhaps you don’t understand the amazing depth of love and relationship I have with my parents…because I whined so much about living there.  But while it was hard to not have my own home, and hard at times to feel like I was in high school all over again, I adore, admire, and cherish my parents above all over relationships, except Jeff.  They sacrifice to no end. Last week my dad fell off a ladder and badly bruised his chest.  Insisting he was fine, he and Jeff moved our entire household, without any help. They carried everything–beds, couch, dressers.  Then, yesterday afternoon, upon my mom’s prodding he finally went to the doctor because the pain in his ribs was still so severe.  He had two broken ribs!  With two broken ribs he moved our entire household!  He made four trips in with his truck so that we wouldn’t have to rent a van, he drove us to our cousin’s house so we could pick up the free couch she gave us (answer to prayer–free couch!).  He fixed the dresser drawer that flew off the truck and was driven over (!), and glued together Dutch’s airplane toy that was broken.  His love and service to us is unending.

Then there’s my mom.  My relationship with my mom is that of friendship.  One of the things that was hardest for me living there was that I felt like I’d lost my friendship with my mom.  Whereas before I would call her, ask advice, email her, etc. when I lived there that was strangely lost.  It was the same as when two friends move in and become roommates and then realize they are no longer friends, they’re just roommates.  I grieved over that when we lived there, but a wise woman assured me we’d be friends again, and even better because of the year we’d gone through sharing a kitchen (!).  And it’s true. I just hung up the phone with my mom, and it’s as if our friendship has been re-aligned.  Now we have the freedom to be friends again.  I’m so thankful to have her back, as strange as that might sound.

And perhaps the relationship that’s most sweetly re-aligned is that of my sweet husband.  (ok now the tears are coming)  This might sound like an exaggeration, but I feel like we’re newlyweds again (except now with a toddler and a growing belly!).  There is a sacredness about sharing every detail of life together, about forging ahead, just the two of you, sharing challenges, hopes, sorrows.  It was no one’s fault, but that was missing this past year, and I was afraid we’d never get it back.  This morning as he left for work, I just held him in my arms, speechless with how proud I am of him, how much I admire and love him, how thankful I am for his constancy, support, and wisdom.  Last night I was struggling with something, and it was so sweet to be able to curl up next to him on the couch and just ask for his advice, to hear his wisdom, the way he can see through the drama details and see to the heart of the issue.  I know this past year was soooo good for us, but I have to say I’m thankful to have our relationship re-aligned.

I do miss seeing Dutch playing outside with my dad. I miss the river, the horses, the smell of the country, the sight of Dutch curled up with my mom reading a book.  But we’re headed out there this weekend, and I’ll savor those sights and smells then.  Right now I’m just humbled, thankful, and blessed by my relationships re-aligned.

Today it’s supposed to reach 104 degrees, so of all days this is not the time to try to convince you that Oregon is a cold state.  But it is.  Relationally that is.  Now I love Oregon.  I bleed green, I love the trees, the rolling hills, the lack of sales tax, the fact that we have mountains and oceans just a few hours apart.  I love everything about Oregon, even the rain.  Our little stint in California only made me realize that much more that nothing save a voice from heaven could get me to leave my beloved Pacific Northwest. I love it here.

Since I’ve lived here my whole life, I’ve become pretty familiar with the climate–I know that summer doesn’t start until the 4th of July and isn’t over until the end of September. I know that it’s always sunny over Finals week of Winter term, then rains again all of April.  But it wasn’t until recently that I became more aware of the relational climate here.  One of my professors moved here from Texas (since that’s where DTS is, pretty much all professors move here from Texas), and remarked how it took almost a year of adjustment to get used to the cool unfriendliness of Oregonians. What?  I think of myself as a friendly person, so this caught me off guard.  Are we really unfriendly?  My travels have included London, Paris, and the California Bay Area, and Oregon is really friendly compared to those areas!

But then I took a trip and visited my brother and his family in Utah.  I’d heard their stories–they moved there and after their first visit to church they’d had 3-4 invites over to dinner at different couple’s houses.  They had neighbors bring treats over, offers to help them move in, and even had a neighbor bring over little girl hand-me-down clothes for their daughter.  I thought of our church in our previous town (which was wonderful, this isn’t again that church), and realized that we were there almost two years before we were ever invited over to dinner anywhere (and that was from the pastor himself!).   Then, we moved here, and Jeff and I were just marveling that we’ve been going here for almost 14 months and only once have we been invited over for dinner by someone from church, and that was from a high school friend after we’d had them over for dinner.  We’ve had tons of people over to our house, so it’s not as if we’re sitting around waiting for people to befriend us… it’s just made us think.

Now perhaps you’re thinking, “Uh, if nobody invites you over there’s probably something wrong with you!”  Perhaps you’re right.  We’ve made plenty of connections with people, but what I’m addressing here is the fact that perhaps there is a cooler relational culture in the NW.  But regardless of where you live, the fact of the matter is that the church must permeate the culture.  Must.  The church is not peripheral to the world, the world is peripheral to the church.  No matter what the culture is like in which we live, our job, as Christians, is to rise above any cultural weaknesses and be the hands and feet of Christ to those around us.

Thinking about this, I also read a post about the Hawaiian concept of ‘Ohana (it’s a really great post), and thought more about how Hawaiians seem to understand the concept of hospitality.  And we all know that the Southerners got it down.  But again, it seems to me that regardless of where we live, love, service, and hospitality should mark our lives as Christians.  This is to truly LiveDifferent.

So our challenge this week is to look around.  Do you see someone new? Invite them over for dinner. You don’t have a nice house for entertaining? Who cares? They won’t!  People are so blessed to be welcomed, no one is evaluating your house decor.  Hear about someone having a baby? Take them meals.  Someone moving?  Help them load boxes (you can help us!) :-).  Someone new move in down your street? Take them a welcome basket and let them know you’re happy they’re there.  It takes so little to really bless people.  I remember so clearly the little acts of love that have blessed me.  When our neighbor, Tony, brings us fresh fish from his Mexico trips.  When our friends from McMinnville brought us the hot meal after Dutch was born and we devoured it like wolves.  When a guy from Jeff’s work, whom he hardly knew, drove an hour to come help us move.  When I walk down the driveway and the neighbors wave and smile.

It might be hot right now, but I suggest that we turn up the relational heat a little and thaw out the coolness that can characterize our culture. In a country of independence, reach out and help those who need it, and receive from those who offer to help you. Invite, bless, give, help.  Choose to warm up your little sphere of influence for the glory of God.

This morning I read this, one of my favorite lines of Scripture:

Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.  (Ps. 103:1-2)

Now this is obvious, but why would God tell us to “forget not” all His benefits?  Because we forget!  We’re called to remember, recount, retell, and rejoice in all that God has done for us!  You might be thinking, well it’s easy for you to do right now because you just got good news that you’re moving.  But it was last weekend, before I knew anything of any move, that God really showed me the importance of thankfulness (read Repenting…again).  So, on the eve of our move, as we transition to this new season, I wanted to reflect and review these past 13+ months, and forget not all His benefits during this time.  The list could go on forever. He’s 20…

1. We saved over $20,000 in mortgage and bills by living here (I guess technically we didn’t save it because we don’t have it, but we didn’t spend that much!).
2. Dutch has the most amazing relationship with Oma and Papa that will never be taken away.
3. Jeff and I have weathered significant storms and our roots are deeper.
4. “I had heard of [God] by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees [Him].” Job 42:5
5. We’ve met sweet and precious people out here in this small town.
6. I learned that I am not defined by what I do.
7. Jeff learned he is not defined by what he does.
8. We pared down our belongings significantly and got organized!
9. Jeff has established a wonderful relationship with our dear Pastor Dale, friend and mentor.
10. I had help with Dutch and the house through my horrid first-trimester sickness.
11. We were able to share daily joys and sorrows with my parents.
12. We learned priceless life lessons from them about selflessness, humility, and godliness.This blog was birthed!!!!
13. We’ve had the glorious rushing river right outside our bedroom window.
14. We’ve had countless hours throwing rocks in the river, feeding hay to the horsies, walking hundreds of miles up and down the driveway.
15. We’ve picked berries, planted a garden, harvested loads of basil for fresh pesto, patronized the library (!).
16. Jeff has racked up hundreds of miles on his bike riding too and from work.
17. I’ve enjoyed my share of lazy hours lounging in the pool reading novels.
18. I learned that the world will not fall apart if the refrigerator is not clean.
19. We have a million memories we will look back on and laugh about for years and years to come.

I wish there were words to somehow convey how incredibly indebted I am to God and to my parents for their grace.  God, gentle, loving, tender, forgiving, but firm, refusing to just give me my own way, but loving me enough to take me through the fire, letting the dross rise to the surface, revealing the ugliness I’d rather cover up.  My parents, endlessly patient, never taking offense no matter how cross a mood I was in, never demanding their own way, always ready to serve, help, love, give.  Ever living to bless us.  I pray that Jeff and I can be 1/2 the godly parents and grandparents that Bill and Karen Zyp are.  I am humbled beyond words by their lives (and I’ve seen them up close!)

So, this season is closing…we head to the beach tomorrow morning with other family, and be sure to check out tomorrow’s LiveDifferent Post on Permeating Culture, but I’ll be unplugged Saturday and Sunday, and from then on I’ll be writing from a new spot.  New adventures ahead, new challenges, joys, struggles, lessons.  Stay tuned.  Thanks for reading, and consider today His benefits and forget them not.