It is desperately late on a Saturday that began with an effort to perfect our master closet organization, veered off for some exterior trim painting, skittered over to the mall and Walmart for a few essentials, and has just wrapped up with me covering six cardboard cubbie boxes in contact paper because I didn’t like their preprinted design. We are so close to listing our house, which is good because I am approaching either the obsessive nitpicking stage or some sort of breakdown.

I don’t suppose it helped my state of clarity to visit Walmart lateish on a Saturday evening either. I fully apologize to the adults of the 1980s if I was ever as disruptive as the free-range teenagers I encountered tonight. Having a headache didn’t help. One of my objectives there was to buy a new pillow in hopes of easing the daily string of headaches I’ve had lately. Which could also, maybe, possibly be related to the hardest hit my forehead has ever had the misfortune to receive from the edge of a desk a few days ago. Not from slamming my head down in frustration, you understand, but from my utter, innate clumsiness while trying to unplug something. I think. Things did go a shade blurry at the time.

I’m in a hurry with everything lately because the year seems to be hurtling towards its end faster than ever. I’ll soon step into a whirlwind of conferences and travel and projects, with a mission trip for good measure. All good things, but even a lot of good things is still a lot, and it has been difficult to continue to make time for what’s truly important. One of the most important undertakings I’ve added to this year is reading through the Bible. While I’m still firmly committed, I am also solidly behind in the particular reading plan I’m following. So while I was working on the closet today, instead of catching up on podcasts of my favorite morning show, I opened my Bible app, set it to audio, and soaked in the blessings of the Psalms and the wisdom of Proverbs.

Those passages are truly rich stuff. I heard reminder after reminder of God’s love for us, His desire for us to boldly proclaim our love for Him, and instructions on how to ignore the pushing and shoving of society elbowing its way into our lives and pursue instead a simpler, purer set of desires that will protect our hearts and prevent us from doing harm to the hearts of others while we’re at it. Proverbs 19:3 says “People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.” I saw a lot of foolishness tonight (and not just from the teens), but now I wonder what foolishness some of them saw in me. A tired woman who got a little lost in the details today? Someone who still fights against a tendency to be judgmental? Maybe I was fortunate and was viewed with the grace I was running thin on myself. I hope so. Emily Dickinson said “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.” I’ve always loved that image. It makes my tomorrows a bit brighter, and my confidence stronger that He will carry me through any obstacle, even when it’s myself. So I’ll end with Psalm 130:7 “7 O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows.” Amen!