Any given Sunday

Upon pulling into the church parking lot on Mother's Day Sunday, Chad leaned over to me and said, "Whew, we made it.  Happy Mother's Day."  I had to smile, because that pretty much sums us up.  We get up early most mornings and Sunday mornings are no exception.  I get up around 6:30, ok 6:45 at the latest.  I don't think it would matter if I got up at 5:30 because that last 20 minutes is going to be filled with some kind of crazy no matter how much we prepare in advance.  

It's just the nature of the beast with getting four kids and two parents up, fed (at least some of us), dressed and out the door kinda sorta on time.  Usually one if not more of us end up getting muffins from the coffee bar at church and at least one if not more of us end up without breakfast because we just ran out of time...no worries grandparents, that's almost always the parents.  One of the funniest things I find myself regularly saying on any given Sunday is "Put on your church flip flops." Yep we have church flip flops and just regular every day flip flops.  Is there really such a thing as a dressy flip flop? Seriously, if wearing flip flops to church is wrong then me and my third born don't wanna be right.

We only live about two miles away from our church but that 2-3 minute drive in on Sunday morning (depending on the traffic light) is full of..."does everyone have their Bibles," "put the electronics down,"  "is anyone listening to me" and "you better not be playing those things in church." Yes, we are very spiritual on our ride to church every Sunday morning, ha ha.  

All that early morning hustle and bustle though becomes worth it when I sit in church with that sweet girl.  There, much like home, she is surrounded by people who love her. I can feel the richness of the words I am singing when she sits beside me in the arms of her daddy.  This week I sang the words, "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders/Let me walk upon the waters/Wherever You would call me/Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander/And my faith will be made stronger/In the presence of my Savior" with my arms around Sophie Kate. Those words are so real to me.  My arms, my heart and my life literally wrap around those words.  I can see them in the struggle and pain she and I have experienced.  I can feel them in the warmth of her skin.  I remember them and sing them to her when I sit beside her in the quiet.

It is not lost on me that our girl is back to going to church with us every Sunday.  It is a sweet gift to my soul.  This is a beautiful, painful, wonderful, difficult journey we are on with our God and our girl.  Our faith grows stronger every day through hurt, through healing and through the hope we have in Christ.  He turns our darkness into light and our mourning into joyful song. May we be so careful to ever and always point to our Savior, "The author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).