my grandbabies

Teaching Me What Really Matters in Life

Over the last several days, I  spent valuable time with my family. First, I spent the morning with my youngest grandbaby, and then in the early afternoon, her sister, my oldest grandchild, arrived home from preschool. Together the three of us had a fun and interesting afternoon.

Time with my youngest meant crawling on the floor and discovering things you can only see from that point of view. It meant sitting with her in my lap and feeling her little hands touch my face, then smile at me as if she decided Mimi is a keeper! The morning was filled with lots of love as she cuddled up next to me, both of us feeling safe and secure. We laughed, and we played. She slept while I held her, and I took in every detail of her sweet little face--long eyelashes, cute nose, perfectly shaped lips and the curls of red hair framing her face.

Later in the afternoon, my oldest granddaughter came home from preschool. She is the adventurous type, so the three of us went on a treasure hunt in the woods next to their home. The first treasures we found were acorns. Bet you didn't know that an acorn is a treasure! But it is to a 4-year-old and her Mimi (that's me!). And, each acorn brought ooh's and aah's as it was examined and placed in the treasure bucket. "Mimi, I love treasure hunts with you!" And my reply, "Katie, I love anything with you!"

This week has been extremely busy, but both my grandchildren helped me to slow down, to enjoy crawling on the floor (it's amazing what we will find!), and the thrill of discovering a treasure in unexpected places, even in an acorn in the woods.

Psalm 139 is one of my favorite scriptures from God's Word. And, it is one of those scriptures that God has used in my life numerous times. Verses 23-24 of the prayer is asking God to "know my heart, test me, and know my thoughts;  see if there is any offensive way in me, and LEAD ME in the way everlasting."

God knows my heart, and He knows the things that drive me from day to day. He knows better than anyone why I do what I do. It takes a daily "heart check" to make sure my actions and desires are coming from a place of serving Him and not serving self. God knows the deep things inside my heart. My desire is for God to show me His ways, LEAD ME in the way I should go (or what I should do), and where He leads, I follow. And I believe if I allow God to lead, then my life will slow down.

When I slow down, I will spend more time discovering the joy of crawling on the floor with a baby and finding a treasure of gold in an ordinary acorn in the woods. Finding joy in simple things.

The question today is, "What matters most in our life?" Is it something that causes us to work harder to gain it? Is it worth losing time with family and friends to have it? Is it that job promotion, working harder and longer hours to prove our worth to someone that doesn't see the depths of our heart? Or perhaps our priorities are simply out of order, with God's design for our life taking a back seat to our idea of the "perfect plan!" Are we just too, too busy to enjoy what God has to offer in our life?

Take time today to seek God, slow down, ask for His direction, and follow Him!

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV