The olive tree scented Jesus sways back & forth as I hit every pothole in my attempts to dodge the very thing. His arms spread out, hands extended palms up towards the blue clouds he's floating amongst, this Jesus looks so full of peace. The catholic air freshener hanging around my rearview mirror was something I had found in the Christian Bookstore. I'm not catholic nor have I ever been, but I am a woman of faith & when I saw that olive tree scented Jesus only cost one dollar & ninety-nine cents, I decided it was destined for me. I was in need of an air freshener. Sometimes when I'm driving down the road, I even throw in an occasional 'Jesus, I trust in you', meditating on the italicized words below the cloud holding Jesus.
So when I was driving back from a concert with a friend & I saw the billboard with this exact Jesus on it, reading the same 'Jesus, I trust in you', I was slightly entertained. Little did I know what God had up his sleeve.
Up his sleeves.
A flat tire. Not mine, but my friends, whom we had been following on our late trip home. Which also meant I was out the power to make any quick decisions at the sound of the bedtime alarm sounding through my shutting down body. In the same breath of my condolences, I let him know his options, praying he'd suddenly see the light & say 'that's it!', jump in our car & take off, where I could feel bad for him in the comfort of my little bed. Phone calls were made between mom, band mate, & highway patrol, & after what was a lot less time than my exaggerative mind felt, safety raised it's head. A short note on the windshield & off we drove.
The whole way home my eyes kept falling upon those puppy dog eyes, my sympathy & slap-happy growing larger than my exhausted mind. "He makes everything work out for our good. If this didn't happen now, it would've been later. Thank God we were following you home." He probably would've pulled a gun on me if he had one. I would've. Especially slap happy me who has no sense of reading into the 'time to shut up' point that alert human beings usually reach, knowing enough is enough. Slap happy me says 'I know! Let's jam to old Coldplay.'
Morning delight.
Birds chirped & I woke to a text from my friend. For one, the leftover pizza forgotten in the backseat of his car made for a delightful morning treat. For two, he took the car to get a new tire, the man saying it would be 30 dollars. As my friend pulls out a visa wrapped in a twenty, the man says 'the twenty' & calls it even.
He makes all things work together for our good.
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights
in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they
will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
(PSALM 37:23-24, NLT)
& now to be completely frank with you all, I must admit. I was just as surprised at how that turned out as he was. I said it, believing up to that point God had worked everything out for my friends good. Look at how much he had done. He had me following behind him to give him a ride home. & he got to listen to old Coldplay. But to think that he was still going into tomorrow & making all things work out for this good? Jesus, I trust in you. How mindless of me.
Yesterday, today, & sweet tomorrow.
You go before me & follow me. You place your
hand of blessing on my head.
(PSALM 139:5)
The Lord goes before me. To truly accept, truly embrace & truly envision God slipping into tomorrow while we're at play today is nothing less than passionate. His comfort extends, as he dwindles away at my next day, handcrafting every single cracked sidewalk, every drop of rain, every rainbow, aligning every minor detail into something bittersweet & beautiful. He delights in the details. He's playful like that, hiding treasures even in the midst of the darkest hour of our day (ISAIAH 45:3). He's the dad who slips m&m's into our peanut butter sandwiches when moms not looking. His unconditional love for us is who he is, gushing from his very being, spilling into his every act towards us. Fresh air & fresh blueberries.
Last night I had predetermined that I would call off today. This time of year, sinus infections tend to get their grip on at least a week of my time, & this is my lucky week. Today I set aside as my lazy day, in honor of a clogged nose, reoccurring sneezes, & the river running down the back of my throat into my all too welcoming stomach. But if you know me at all, you also know of my incurable case of ants in the pants, an illness in which even the worst of conditions cannot stop me from doing something. So, I decided to take a trip over to the local farmer's market, picking up some juicy, plump fruits, including a pint of blueberries to bake my sister some muffins.
So on this day, I baked, wrote, ate, & drank coffee. I slapped the title of 'relaxing' on this Thursday (my very own unique version), & soaked up some refreshing joy into my day. This is the day that the Lord has made. The air carries a foreshadowing crispness of the fall at our heels, sun still warming the depths of my heart. My brother & sister-in-love welcomed their baby boy into the world, all nine pounds five ounces, as one & a half year young Bailey Ryann gained the title of big sister back home, with nothing big about her little self. This is the day that my Father has made, & I will rejoice & be glad in every little drop of it. I see your limitless love, Father, & I trust in you.
Incase you were curious, olive tree smells like musty old man's cologne, my discovery from a whiff at every sharp turn.
{CAPTURED JOY}
{YOU DIDN'T THINK I'D FORGET TO SHARE, DID YOU?... HERE THEY ARE. TO DIE FOR BLUEBERRY MUFFINS}
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Servings: 8 muffins
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, & baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg & enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with the flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, & sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To make crumb topping: mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, & 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, & sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.
{FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE, SWEET LOVE.}
Choose Joy: Because Happiness isn't Enough, Kay Warren
Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, & Learning the Hard Way, Shauna Niequist
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