Mobility

Mobility is a term often used to indicate the ability to move or rather the relative ease associated with moving.  A lack of it would mean that something is resistant to motion.  Think of the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz before he got the oil can and loosened up his joints.  I spent the better part of the Summer months being immobilized.  I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, especially given all that I was trying to process at the time.  With Ash passing away in May, those first three months were a chaotic storm of trying to figure out my head from a hole in the ground.  As time has continued forward, I've had to navigate a lot of new things.  A lot of firsts.  A lot of 'how-to' moments as a single parent.  There have been so many moments I wish I could've had my bride by my side to ask what she thought.  But... here I am...  negotiating the days solo.  I, like everyone else, definitely have good and bad days.  I found myself being more easily frustrated at the start of this holiday season, but some time to slow down and rest have done me some good.  My attitude has definitely healed some.

As today has unfolded, I've just been met with the fact over and over that things change.  Time moves forward.  I may think I know what I'm doing, only to find out that I'm just as clueless at the end of the day as I was at the start.  Something that the Lord is really starting to hammer home is that He uses change and unsettled moments to affect the greatest change in my life.  I mean, that's kind of a 'duh' statement if you think about it.  How can I grow and look more like Jesus without changing?  Change begets change though.  I strive so hard to get a routine established, but if there is never any deviation or grounds for spontaneity how can there be opportunity to grow into something different from what I already am.  How can I expect my kids to handle and navigate changing circumstances if they never get practice with change.

Proverbs 16:9 is a verse that continues to resonate (I say this because I've quoted this numerous times over the past few weeks), 'The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." I definitely think there is value in trying to establish a baseline rhythm for my household, but we have to be mobile enough to know that the Lord is the one who establishes the steps we'll go.  

With a new year unfolding as the clock strikes midnight, time will continue to march forward.  We'll enter a new year, a year that will be all new for my family.  We'll be leaving 2022 behind... the year my wife died.  We're stepping into a year my wife never knew.  We'll be stepping into a year of untold stories, new opportunities, and a continuing mission.  So, here's to being growing in mobility... in whatever way that looks like...  to being flexible enough to say yes to change, wise enough to embrace the moments that refine character, and eager enough to put our heads down and get to work.