Lately, I have found myself reading more fiction books. I spent a long time reading non-fiction books like the Bible, resources on Christianity, spiritual growth, and others. I spent a lot of time studying the Bible and trying to find hidden gems to encourage deep growth and relationship. But I think that I burnt myself out with too much of a good thing. All of the details, as wondrous and amazing as they are, got me so zoomed in on them that I couldn’t seem to zoom back out and on the whole picture. I know this is a lengthy way of saying I did too much with not enough.
So, a friend and I were going to thrift stores one day as a monthly get together between the two of us. Many of the thrift stores around me have a book section where many books of various genres are mixed up together for minimal prices. As we were perusing the shelves, I saw one that looked interesting. When I showed my friend, her face lit up with joy. She told me that she has all of the books in the series to which this one belongs. She also said that the one in my hand was just the first of the series. And, if I liked this one, she said I could borrow the rest of them as I read them.
The books are so sweet. They are set in the small town of Mitford, and so the series is called The Mitford Series. The first novel is called “At Home in Mitford”, and it is about Father Tim’s daily life as the local Episcopalian priest. There are various other Mitford citizens that come in and out of Father Tim’s life, but a character that remains in his life after meeting him a few times is Barnabas, a big loveable dog. Barnabas is friendly with no manners until Father Tim begins shouting scripture at him. Then he settles right down.
This book was just the one I needed at that moment. I was seriously studying the same passages in the Bible over and over, and it felt as though I was becoming more mechanic. That’s when I knew that God was leading me slightly away from my reading plan. He was not leading me away from Him or His Word. He was showing me a key lesson in longevity of relationships, especially one that is for eternity. He showed me that I am to enjoy being with Him. Relationships are not all work and no play. Daily life has learning and teaching, resting and working, sitting and walking. There are times when you want to learn all you can about someone, but that is not the end. That is the means to the end, which is a relationship with that person.
The Lord orchestrates not only the big things, but also the details. He is outside of the limits of time and space. So He can move about however He desires. And one of His desires is to see His children happy. I don’t mean hedonistically happy. I mean like a child, innocently happy with a gift. I remember being giddy with a doll from my mom when I was little. This same feeling washed over me as I was reading this book, and the Lord whispered to me, “Do you like the gift, My child?” The feeling of peace and safety enveloped me like a warm hug. It was sort of that same feeling of being seen and loved fully.
Now, I am not saying that this book gives all the warm fuzzies. That was not what I was so moved by. However, it is a sweet book. I am just stating that sometimes we need to rest in Him. We need to enjoy His presence, enjoy His love, enjoy Him. If we are working for His favor, we’ve missed the point. He loves us because He loves us, not because of anything we did to earn anything. My children did not earn my love. I love them just because I love them. They are special and dear to me more than anyone on the planet. They are my children. And I am His.
Gotta go fill up my cup…..
Coffee with Candee 