Rich

If you saw my bank account, you would laugh at the title of this post. Without going into any great detail, let me assure you that finances have nothing to do with it. The economic mess we’re in as a country has not fallen short of affecting the Whittle family. Trust me. (Unless, of course, you consider $2.56 a lot of money to have in the bank.)

But despite my current financial status, I am feeling really wealthy these days. Surplus-laden. Downright filthy rich.

Honestly.

And it’s not just a cute play on words or because of the holiday season we are in, either. I love Thanksgiving, but it mainly centers around the fact that I am a girl who loves her food, and I get into the turkey, cranberry sauce, and deviled eggs. I mean, the truth of the matter is that it kind of gets on my nerves that people suddenly start becoming really thankful the month of November. It’s as if we need cornucopias, fake butternut squash, and pictures of pilgrims eating family style at a big wooden table to remind us that we are way more blessed than we should be.

Instead, I find that circumstances often do more for me in the thankfulness category than a seasonal holiday. Things sometimes happen in my life that remind me to see the things around me and love them for their value rather than allow them to continue to be invisible to my senses. I have made no bones about the fact that I am super hard-headed. So it usually takes circumstances on a spiritually-nuclear level to bring me to the point of which I write about – the point of recognizing that my life is really, super rich.

A circumstance, as of late, has brought that needed clarity to my life, once again. Over the past few days I have found myself re-visiting my life scrapbook and appreciating what is on its pages. Here are some of my thoughts about it, in no particular order…

I am rich because for the first time in my life I don’t want to be 21, again. I see the great value in my life experiences and appreciate the wisdom they have afforded.

I am rich because I am ok with the fact that I am not a size 4…or 6…or even, 8. I like myself and won’t be so consumed with staying the size Hollywood says I should be that I compromise my spiritual, mental or physical well-being to do it.

I am rich because I am beginning to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. I’ve come a long way to be able to say that and it be true.

I am rich because I don’t have to anesthetize myself with over-eating, over-exercising, over-shopping, over-drinking, over-volunteering, or over-achieving in order to be able to deal with life.

I am rich because the other day I heard my 12-year old son call me “mom,” and it was as if I was hearing it for the very first time. It made me smile and think about the fact that something I always wanted to be, I now am.

I am rich because after 14 years I pursue holding my husband’s hand now more than I ever have. And that, friends, qualifies as a miracle. :)

I am rich because I live in a breathtakingly beautiful city, where the Master Artist spent some of His best ability painting. Even more, I like the fact I appreciate the beauty.

I am rich because I embrace life more these days. I enjoy new experiences and not having to control them like I used to want to.

I am rich because I get to do life with some of the most amazing people I have ever known – which may include laughter, tears, raw conversations about God or all of the above.

I am rich because I understand where I am in my life. I get what it’s all about. I’m good with where I have been. I trust where I am going is taken care of, even if I don’t know exactly what that looks like.

I am rich because I am not afraid to get hurt nearly as much as I used to be. I have been rejected, disappointed and generally misunderstood before and lived through it. I may have even thrived because of it.

Most of all, I am rich because I finally see how much I need God. I long to be rocked to my core, as long as I can have His presence in my life. I never want to be the girl who doesn’t feel or experience but lives with a safe and neatly gift-wrapped life.

Being wealthy might be nice. But today, I could not feel better off. My stash is overflowing because I have the ability to actually see it in front of me. How very rich…I am.

Child-Like

To my She Seeks friends who have found their way over after my inspirational entry this morning....WELCOME! I'm so glad you stopped by. My goal is to post every Monday, but as you can see from my previous posts, I sometimes fail to accomplish this. (Grace! :) But know this: when I do post, it will be something that is truly on my heart to share. So come back by or sign up to follow my blog...follow me on Twitter or request me as a friend on Facebook. I am honored to share thoughts from my journey with you.

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Once again, one of my children has been a catalyst for self-analysis in my life.

It happened this morning when I went to get my daughter up and out of bed.
Before she had even cracked her sleepy eyes open, her mouth started moving. These were the words that came out of it:

“Mom, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Immediately, my heart began to stir. I was tired. Some things were weighing on me. But at the same time, her words resonated somewhere deep within me, where I longed to go and camp out for awhile.

It is the place where good things like faith and love and hope reside. It is the place where simple is better and less is more and naivety is a gift. It is the place where God is love and that is enough for me to want to share it with others. It is a place that has no real understanding of what people are capable of, and that is ok. It is the place where I am not over burdened, burnt out or jaded. It is a place of safety and trust – housing no control issues and no ulterior motives.

It is where a child resides because they haven’t lived long enough to be messed up by the crud of the world. It’s where my daughter currently lives, as evidenced by the joy felt in her words about her favorite day of the week.

It didn’t take much self-reflection to understand what God was saying to my heart…

“Love me like a child, Lisa. Remember what it’s like to rejoice over the simple.“

I know I can’t go back to being 7, again. Life has happened in front of my very eyes, and suddenly, today I become a woman of 38. But the ability to become open and willing and eager and joyful and optimistic is mine to claim. These things are possible, simply because Jesus is my source of life. Circumstances around me don’t have to change for me to saturate myself in the fact that I am a child of God, He loves me, and the day I have today is a gift, plain and simple.

Though the world isn’t always safe.

Though my relationships aren’t always easy.

Though words hurt, my body gives out, rejection happens and there are things I can’t control.

This is the day He has made. My daughter says it is reason enough to rejoice, and I happen to believe her.