It's OK to just show up.

You know how it goes.....
You're walking into church, a store, a park....and inevitably someone greets you with "Hey, how are you?".  Now this isn't really a question, but more of a longer version of 'hi', and people don't always stick around for the reply.  Sometimes it's easy to avoid answering, as the person was only politely greeting you as they happened to pass you. But sometimes, they lock eyes and actually wait for the response. Then you have a choice....do you give the expected customary response back? "Great! How are you?" You could always switch it up with 'Doing fine!' or 'Never been better!'.  Or do you actually answer the question?

After a series of Sunday mornings where we were not 'fine', I started thinking on this. My response many weeks when someone greets me is often not "Great!"....but "We made it!" Usually my response is received with puzzled looks. But at that moment what I'm most excited about is....we made it and on time! 

When I heard their greeting, my mind went to the middle of the night feedings, the littles screaming and running around at 7:30 AM, the cat puking on the floor, the dog leaving muddy footprints across the dining room, changing poopy diapers, my son's cheerios all over the floor, my daughter's tantrums that we won't let her wear summer clothes when it's 28 degrees out, the frustration with finding an outfit to wear that looks fine after birthing 3 children, the baby crying before taking her mid-morning nap at 9:00 AM...then the rush to get everyone buckled in and in route by 9:45.

 So when you ask, "Hello, how are you?" I'm going to answer, "We made it!"  And you'd better be as excited as I am. :-)

Sometimes just showing up IS the victory.

One of my favorite verses is Ephesians 6:13 "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Life, at times, feels like an escalator. Where unless you are making a constant effort to progress, you'll inevitably go down. Unless I'm constantly mindful of the dishes and laundry, they will take over my house.  Unless I keep pulling out weeds, they will take over my garden. Many times, the victory is in maintaining. Because maintaining my place on an escalator (without going down) is work! Standing my ground when life throws everything at me is also a lot of work. 

Sometimes just showing up IS the victory. 

If greeting time were up to me at church, at the Walmart checkout, as you're leaving the restaurant with the littles successfully in tow, or when you've just tucked the last child into bed, there would be a line of people clapping, high-fiving and rejoicing in your victory! 

Next time you're feeling discouraged, remember that standing your ground is a victory in itself. Just show up, do the next thing, and keep taking steps. 

Sojourning with you,

Felicia