I wear a lot of hats- wife, teacher, mom, friend- but one of my absolute favorites is my Mimi hat. I am the devoted Mimi to seven grandchildren, Dylan, Claire, Judah, Collin, Ethan, Ben, and Juliette (in order). Five boys. Two girls. And I love them all with the steadfast devotion that only a Mimi knows.
These grandbabies of mine have blessed me from day 1. I was fortunate enough to be in the birthing room when Dylan, now age 10, was born. All I can say is WOW, just wow. I remember gasping and crying when he was born…totally and absolutely overcome with the beauty and joy of experiencing his birth, of experiencing the miracle of new life. All of this while trying not to embarrass myself and my daughter with my emotional outburst- I was under very strict orders to behave myself- so that I wouldn’t be evicted! Then, just two years later, I was able to watch as my granddaughter Claire was born. And again, I found myself totally and absolutely overcome…with all of it.
I have so many amazing memories with these grandchildren of mine. They have blessed my life in untold ways, time and again bringing a smile and a laugh and a sigh of wonder and contentment. You Mimis of the world know what I’m talking about! Memories of Dylan, the 10 year old, who decided he wanted to email his mimi at work (while he was doing remote learning from his school), so he “hacked” two school email systems and devised a way for us to communicate. Claire, the 8 year old, who lives life with total abandon- who learned to ride her bike the same way, scaring us all silly in the process. Judah, the 5 year old, who has been obsessed with sea creatures from the day he was born- the boy with the imagination greater than the oceans he adores. Collin, the 4 year old, who loves tractors and skeletons and being outdoors. The boy who discovered a fawn mere minutes from its birth and drug it home (literally) and named it Scooby (before his mom reunited it with its mother). Ethan and Ben, the 4 year old twins, who tower over all the others with their undaunting courage and attitude, despite their small stature. Ben, who says, “Mimi, I missed you so much” when he sees me. Ethan, who throws a fit without making a single sound. And finally Juliette, the 2 year old. The Beast. The boss of the family. The bathtub queen.
One memory in particular stands out today. Claire, somewhere around age 4, was having a sleepover at my house. During a down moment, Claire was lying on the couch “reading” a book – Are You My Mother? to be exact. I had been only half paying attention, but suddenly the words of her story filtered into my brain. Pages 1-4 went something like this:
I will do what I want.
I will do whatever I want.
I will do the things I want.
I will do all the things I want.
My first thought? What is she reading?? So I surreptitiously checked- yep, still Are You My Mother?. My second thought? Wow…this girl is making a statement, one I believe she would like me to hear!
Now I have to say that I, too, have read that same book before, quite a few times actually. Not always with good results. Because the things I want to do, all the things I want to do, are not always right for me. Or maybe all the things I want to do are right for me, but the timing is not. This thought led me to Galatians 1:15-16. Here, Paul is writing to the churches of Galatia, describing his life prior to his encounter with Christ on that Damascus road. He describes himself as a zealot who “persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13). But then there was Christ. Right there, in the middle of the road. In the middle of Paul’s important mission. In the middle of his sight. In the middle of his life. And for Paul, there was no way around, no way through, no way over, and no way under that vision (Acts 9). At that moment, on that road, Paul’s plan intersected with God’s plan. His timing intersected with God’s timing. Later on in his life and ministry, when referring to that day, that pivotal moment, Paul wrote, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me…” (Galatians 1:15-16). But when it pleased God… When it pleased God. God had a time for Paul. He had a timing. And as a result of God’s perfect plan and His perfect timing, Paul embarked on a ministry that touched much of the world at that time…and that continues to touch much of the world today.
This blog is one of those “when it pleased God” moments in my life. No matter how much I wanted to write before, the words just weren’t there. No matter how much I believed it was my calling. No matter how much I tried to force it. No matter how much I prayed. But when it pleased God….then it all fell into place. Then it was right. Then it was His timing. And now? Now, I have more words than I have time to write! And there are other dreams in my life that I am waiting on God for as well. Other desires He has given me. Other prayers I have prayed. Or as Claire would say, other “things” that I want. But God has a time and a place for those things too, His time and His place. Today I take comfort in that, in knowing that my vision for my life, for my world is so small, so finite….but God sees the big picture, the whole picture, from creation to Christ’s return….and He has a plan and a purpose for me in that big picture. He has a plan for you in that big picture as well. Maybe more importantly, He has a time. So what are your dreams and prayers? What are the “things” that you want? Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Take comfort today in knowing that there is a season, a God-ordained time for every purpose He has given you. Take comfort today in knowing that “when it pleased God” is part of your story.
Beautiful and inspiring