But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5
I'm thinking about time this morning, mostly because I had to get up at 5 a.m. in order to get Sarah Beth and her friend Anna out the door so they could meet their ride to the airport. I mentioned in my last post that they are attending MKR (missionary kid retreat), something the teenagers get to experience once they are actual teenagers. I can't tell you how excited the girls were to be together (they haven't seen each other since the last MKR in Poland in March), and how fun it was to listen to them giggle at one another and stay up all night catching up on what's going on with each of them. Anna is a lovely girl, and after Sarah Beth's unfortunate experience at the end of our time in Florida, we are so thrilled that she has so many close girlfriends now. I am also really grateful that we work for an organization that understands the value of providing what amounts to summer camp for our kids. Lest you think that is a waste of money, remember that most of our kids do not live where there are tons of other MKs, and so this is their chance to have a "regular" church experience. Sarah Beth has foregone a lot of the normal high school experience so we could follow God's call on our lives. (Not that she complains--she doesn't--but I am aware of what she gave up.) I am so thrilled for her to have this time with her friends.
MKs have unusually close relationships with other MKs and with their families. Many become missionaries themselves, and they have a tendency to marry young because they value family so much. Trust me, when we started to understand that God wasn't going to wait on Sarah Beth to get out of high school, I started researching the impact this was going to have on her life. I think she is gaining an unusual experience, one that will have a tremendous impact on her as she grows up and leaves home. Every day, I see a little more that my children are really gaining so much more than they are giving up by being here. I am pleased and happy with the people they are turning out to be.
So anyway, I'm thinking about time and the fullness of time this morning. I'm also sipping my second delicious cup of Starbuck's coffee--an incredibly thoughtful gift Marc gave me for Christmas. I also received one of the big Starbuck's "city" mugs with Moscow on it. It's gorgeous. Isn't he wonderful? If I believed in lucky stars, I'd count mine for having him as a husband. Since I don't believe in that, I'll just thank the Father from whom all blessings, including my husband, flow.
Here's the thing about time--I am used to being in control of my time more than I am right now. I am accustomed to being in charge of how my time is spent. And I guess to a great extent, I still am, but it seems like time has slowed so much for me that I don't really have a clear expectation of what my time should look like. I would have loved getting off the plane and walking directly into an amazingly wonderful, satisfying new life. However, that isn't what happened. Instead, I walked off the plane into utter chaos--everything about our lives turned upside down. We weren't happy. We weren't content. We were trying to choose to be content, but we couldn't make ourselves content. Instead, we had to struggle and finally come to the realization that we couldn't make ourselves happy or content, but He could. And though our time is not our own--full time language is pretty much in control of our time right now--I am learning (and I think Marc is, too) that control is really overrated. There's a lot to be said for just sitting back and letting God control what goes on around you. Not that I'm really good at that, yet, but when I do allow Him to be in control of my time without fighting Him tooth and nail, I find that I am a much, much happier and content person, even if it means I'm spending a lot of my time just hanging out with my family--a luxury in my former life, but something I have time for now. I guess in the fullness of time, God is settling us into this new life that He's chosen for us.
On a totally different note--I watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks last night with John and Hannah while Marc and SB went to the train station to pick up Anna. One of the fun things about being together and having time to spend with one another is the chance to introduce them to some "old" things that I loved at their age. We had a ball watching the movie. John even came in from practicing soccer (he got a stuffed, plush soccer ball for Christmas) to sit down and watch with us.
The pics above are just to remind you how beautiful my kids are. Now that I can post pictures, I love sharing some with you--these were taken behind our apartment building in the woods. Have a wonderful Saturday! Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye
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