Life: a startling conclusion

I'm about to amend my blogroll in order to accommodate the now populous list of relatives entering the blogosphere.

Speaking of which...

I just finished reading my cousin Jenna's latest blog post, and I was struck by some of her thoughts. However, when I started to comment, the words just started pouring out. My thanks to Jenna for straightening some things out for me!

First of all, I was thrilled by her description of a life I almost forgot:

Simple days equaled simple pleasures. There were the days of orphanage and promenades, and sometimes we were able to persuade Mark to join in on some of our more mature activities, like Chef on the Reimers' woodpile and GUNS. We even had our own patented and famous dishes. There was Beka's carrot-top dish, which sometimes made our mouths water (if it was close to lunch:). And then there was my masterpiece, the illustrious French dish made with clay and "wheat."

Those were the days of peace and eternal prosperity in the mind of a five year old. The days when being a Christian just meant that you prayed to God at night, went to church with Mom and Dad, and obeyed all the big people in all that was right.

The conclusion:

It's just that as things begin to close in and our eyes are made to open wider, life begins to hold very little pleasure. And I must confess that at times I have wished to go back to the days of blissful childhood.

Oh well...a tear and a sigh for the days gone by.

It started me thinking.

I was struck by this conclusion because I remember thinking the same thoughts as I left those years behind--and I do still have rumblings in that direction. Then my mind turned to a recent conversation with someone (I don't remember who or in what setting), where out of the blue, I was inspired to conclude to myself (and I mean this with all the profundity and simplicity it holds): I am very happy.

How does this fit with the loss of my joyful, carefree childhood? The answer is that no matter how busy and complicated my life appears on the surface, yet God is faithful in teaching me to rely more and more on Him for the smallest details. You might even say I am again living a carefree childhood.

True, each day I grow older carries a fresh burden of added responsibility. But the grace of God is such that I am still able to lay all worries down at His feet and even as I strive to live out my life in all diligence, yet I can trust Him to uphold me and work in me His good and perfect plan.

The past two months have been especially potent with the truth of His grace and peace. To live in the joy of His salvation is a life of both child-like trust and obedience.