The coast of Maine was warned that we might have 70mph winds and torrential rains from the remnants of Hurricane Kyle. We drew some water and secured some things outside. We have a woodstove, so we have heat and hot water if the power goes out. I was looking forward to an "exciting" time. Of course, I hoped nobody's house would be damaged by falling trees or anything like that, but being inside while a storm rages outside is fun.
It was a dud. It did rain, quite hard at times, but I don't think the wind blew more than 5 mph in our area all weekend. The power stayed on and life went on. The sun is shining this morning.
It reminded me of when my kids would say, "Mama, I'm bored." (smile) They didn't stay bored long, and they didn't say that again! I had a whole list of jobs up my sleeves for just such occasions. They learned to fill their time, usually creatively and constructively. I didn't mind if they were dirty or made a mess, as long as they were keeping themselves occupied. They dug holes, built rafts, put on circuses, etc.
I also thought of the times I said, "I'm bored" to God. I wanted to go overseas as a missionary or start a new business or something...anything! Sometimes, God changed things slightly. (like giving me a new student) Sometimes, my life was so 'exciting' that I prayed for a respite from the whirlwind. (like when we had 3 weddings, my parents 50th anniv. and our 30th anniv., all in 4 months)
I need to keep my mouth shut when I feel bored and wish for excitement. I may get more than I bargained for. I need to learn that the boring times are just as important to my spiritual growth as the exciting times, maybe even more.
2 comments:
How insightful, Vonnie. This is sooooo true.
Poor Vonnie! But I'm very glad that the storm didn't materialize! I like your tie-in to wishing for more excitement in our spiritual lives. I learned my lesson on that score...to have a calm, boring life is quite a good thing!
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