November 14, Redemption Day- what did that look like for you?  Let me tell you what happened in my world. 

I don’t feel like I did anything “earth shattering”, just simple expressions of kindness and love.  It seemed to be the point though—not to stress over what I should do and simply respond to what was stirring in my heart.  I sent a few emails/messages, dropped a card in the mail, and waited in anticipation for the next “assignment”.  The morning was great, the afternoon was good but the evening was a challenge.

Dan had a class Thursday evening, so I was on my own with the kids.  It was a normal night, on a day when I felt anything but normal.   I found myself challenged on all levels and burdened under the weight of raw emotion.  I didn’t quite know where it came from but I did NOT have time to deal with it.  I wanted the night to be fun for the kids and feel like the day meant something to them too.  As the hours passed I became less sure that I was making any kind of difference.  I’m my own worst critic.

I tucked the kids in bed, started water to fill my tub and pulled a load of laundry from the dryer.  A hot bath was probably just the thing I needed—a bit of time to process the day’s events.  What should’ve been a quick folding job turned into another adventure as I discovered a tube of Chapstick had been washed and dried into the clothing.  More work, this wasn’t what I had in mind.  Soaking in the washer overnight would hopefully do the trick.

Twenty minutes later I sank down into the hot water and thought about the day—the places of beauty and the ones that challenged me.  In the midst of this though, I began to realize that there was another side to this story.  I started to tally up all the amazing things God had done for me, the ways he kissed my day.

1. A random call from a friend inviting our family to their cabin for the weekend.
2. Lunch with another friend who hadn’t read my blog post on Redemption Day, but was sharing from her heart in a way that matched everything in mine.  It was divine encouragement.
3. A surprise text that took my breath away with heart-felt kindness.
4. Flowers from a fourth friend, her way of celebrating Elise’s 16^th birthday.
5. $6.00 clearance shirts at the Gap Outlet, the perfect size for one of my children.
6. Prayers from my boys at bedtime, asking if they could pray for others who were facing their own place of difficulty.

All of these things meant something wonderful and remarkable to me.  I can honestly say that perfection is over-rated; it was ok that the day wasn’t perfect, it was about redemption anyway.  Kisses from heaven—this day spoke of the God who knows my heart, hears my cry and always answers.  On a day I intended to be about others, God surprised me and showed me that instead, it was all about me.