I have been feeling a bit of writer’s block this past week. It’s always hard for me to sit still long enough to write anything of substance unless I’m really passionate about it, but when I can’t articulate what I want to say it gets even harder. I’ve never considered myself a writer. Most days I would rather take a calculus test than write a paper. But after reading all of the positive responses to my last blog about bickering, I felt really encouraged and motivated…until I tried to write today. Oh, the joys of personal growth. So this week I have been on a search for inspiration, for something worth writing about.
Joe and I recently attended a pregnancy center’s annual fundraising banquet in Fort Worth, TX. The keynote speaker was Bruce Wilkinson, author of “The Prayer of Jabez.” Many of you have probably read his book, or at least heard of it. Dr. Wilkinson is an amazing man, full of wisdom and truth. Joe and I found a quick moment to approach him before dinner and asked him what advice he had for newlyweds in ministry. He paused and thought for a moment, and then responded, “Don’t work a lot during your first year of marriage. Travel. Spend as much quality time with one another as you can.” He then looked directly at me, then at Joe. “She needs a nest; somewhere she can come home to at the end of the day. Women have a hard time relaxing when there’s no foundation.”
Whenever we ask other married couples for advice, we rarely hear anything as simple and profound as we did that night. Bruce’s words were a breath of fresh air, but they were also a wake up call. I love traveling with my husband, living a simple and nomadic lifestyle. We have so much fun on the road and I deeply cherish our time spent together. But Bruce is right – I do need a nest. Sleeping on the pull out sofa in Daryl’s living room is great but not for an entire month. Plus, Joe and I do need some privacy, especially being newlyweds.
With just a few phone calls we were able to find a missionary from the Wicliffe Center named Margaret who was looking to rent out a room in her house for three hundred dollars. She is hardly ever home, so we have our section of the house all to ourselves. We now have a place of our own, even if only for a month or two.
There are a lot of different seasons in life. Semisonic was right when they sang that “every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.” The problem is that the new is blended so well with the old that it’s hard to see where one season starts and another ends. This season is sure different than the last one. It is far more challenging for me. I never thought that we would move down here to Dallas. This was supposed to be a two-week trip and now it looks like we will be down here for at least another month.
I wonder to myself what the next season will look like. In my heart, I desire my dream nest; not a big fancy house, but one that feels like home. I’d like to look out from the kitchen and see the mountains. Our new place is lovely and good for now but it’s not exactly ours. The time will come for me to have the perfect house, so I must be content with where we are at right now. I rest assured in the work that we are doing here in Dallas with the Stork project (www.SavetheStorks.com).
I also understand that Joe and I need more time together, and not just any time, but quality time where our attention is undivided and focused on each other. We have been absolutely swamped these last few months, but we do get at least one night a week where we spend quality time together. Sacrifice is often a hard thing to do, because you cannot look into the future to know just how much it will pay off. But I am trusting that the hard work we put into this ministry will pay off in the end.
