A New Year

For two hours the six of us played charades, each taking turns looking silly and eliciting laughs. Then we played Pitt, a fast moving card game that gave us more laughs. But between the moments of fun, I was feeling a tinge of anxiety.

David would be leaving the next morning, flying back to his job in Virginia. Although we are still waiting for final approval, Hannah, Martha, Jonathan, and me, will likely be in the Philippines in a couple of months. Sara will stay here in Ft. Worth to finish her college and look for a job. In August, Hannah will return to the U.S. to begin her college years at Liberty University in Virginia.

We had had a wonderful Christmas. Before Christmas Day, we made a quick trip to visit my relatives in Oklahoma. Saw some snow. We enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner with my brother and his family. The girls did a great job fixing our Christmas meals. We enjoyed our presents, made possible by generous gifts from friends who remembered that this would be our first Christmas without Mom.

During the weekend, we studied ancient Christian art at the Kimbell Art Museum, pigged out at CiCi’s Pizza and Braum’s Ice Cream, shot off Jonathan’s model rockets, and visited Jan’s gravesite. On New Years Eve, we, along with Jan’s two brothers and their families, had a birthday cake for Jan. We watched Jan’s 2-hour interview that was filmed just two years ago. Despite all that has happened to us this past year, the Lord has shown us that His grace is sufficient and His peace is real.

So why the tinge of anxiety? I guess I’ve been around long enough to know that nothing ever goes as planned. It’s the unexpected that makes me a bit uncomfortable. How will David adjust to his first full year away from his family? What life-changing choices will Sara make when she is finally on her own? What surprises will Hannah have to endure when she moves to Virginia? How will Martha and Jonathan adjust to being back in the Philippines, without Mom? And what schemes is the Devil plotting in the Philippines to hinder me from doing the Lord’s work?

Well, I have also learned that this earth is not our home. We are at war against principalities and unseen foes. No good soldier should ever rest easy, knowing the enemy is just over the hill, plotting his next move.

So, after the charades and the Pitt game was over, as the laughs were being replaced with yawns, I asked the kids if I could pray for each one. They were patient as I went around the circle, casting my cares and concerns to the Lord, asking Him to be their counselor and consoler when (not if) they encounter hurts and discouragements. During this coming year, if the Lord brings us to your thoughts, would you, too, say a prayer for my children? I would sure appreciate it.