I’ve been thinking about this a lot, but of course, she says it better than I could:

We like things to go smoothly and as planned. Very often unexpected things intervene, and our plans go awry. We think we’ve got “problems.” There is another level at which everything that happens is being engineered. “God has no problems,” Corrie ten Boom said, “only plans.” When ours are interrupted, his are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) “toward the goal of true maturity” (Rom 12:2 JBP). Believe God. Turn the interruptions over to Him. He is at the controls.

:. It’s been a nice, relaxing week for Jameson and me. He’s happily accompanied me on errands and visits to Mom and Dad’s — my little buddy. We have so much fun being together (at least, I hope he shares that sentiment!) I’ve not gotten all the projects done that I’d hopes to accomplish, largely due to the week of snow we’re experiencing. T-shirts, shorts, and flower boxes will have to wait for another day.

:. Easter was so, so nice. It was a perfectly-paced day — lots of time for fellowship and laughter, reflection and worship, reunited friends and family, and special food. The Sinclairs aren’t, in general, morning people (poor Mom and me!), so waking early to celebrate His resurrection and enjoy breakfast together — on a Sunday morning, no less! — sets Easter apart as truly special. I love it.

:. And, in case you haven’t stumbled across them yet, here are a few shots from our weekend.

:. The good doctor will be arriving on Saturday afternoon. He will be our guest until Wednesday — what a treat! He’s stayed with us several times, and blesses us with his humor, gentleness, and affection. I know he thinks of Ryan as a son and enjoys being here as much we enjoy having him — as evidenced by the late nights he spends talking and bantering with Ry!

:. I’ve been reading a book Ryan gave me for my birthday, per my request. I’d heard several women I admire speak well of it, and since I’d like to be more diligent in praying for Ryan, I figured I’d give it a whirl.

I love it.

Each morning I review a chapter, and then pray for whatever was covered. I am more excited than ever about how I can be a part of Ryan’s success. The book also covers so many things that I fail to identify as prayer concerns and instead just fret about (or nag about…) I feel such peace and relief as I learn to stand in faith for every need to be met by our all-sufficient God.

I also feel freshly commissioned and empowered to wage war on Ryan’s behalf. If we are in covenant, then his enemies are my enemies, and my prayers can win victories for him.

This story came to mind as I was pondering these things. I’m often so turned off by the brassiness of Christian feminism (egalitarians) that I run to the other extreme. Reading this book has re-inspired me to take my rightful place as Ryan’s helpmeet and not wimp out in the name of femininity (feminininininity, right Lor?) He needs me. Back to the story: Jael knew who her husband’s enemies were, and she made them her own. She didn’t wait for Barak to come, either; instead, she rose with strength and resourcefulness and slew the enemy.

As a wife, I hear the troubles that assail my husband’s spirit. I see attacks that sometimes even he is not aware of. There is constantly conflict, and always will be, as he seeks to press into what God has for him and the enemy pushes back. But I am not to be a spectator, or worse, a critic. If I am shrewd as Jael, I will watch for and recognize the schemes of darkness — and I will quickly and swiftly come against them.

This is not acting unbecomingly. No, the Bible paints a picture of femininity that is yet untarnished by first the Romantic era, and then the Feminist movement…

…But those are thoughts for another post.

The plan has been to shop today.

But the longer I sit inside, listening to rain on the roof, watching rain out my window, the louder a certain song plays in my head:

“Can’t you see that it’s just raining?/Ain’t no need to go outside…”

Jameson’s sleeping. We’ll see if, when he wakes up, that song has influenced me enough to change my plans.

It’s not raining where Ryan is. He’s been gone since Sunday and won’t be back for awhile. I’ve got my “little” list of things I’d like to get done while he’s gone. One of the to-dos is switch winter clothes for summer. Then I hear that it’s supposed to snow this weekend, and I wonder at the wisdom in that.

But whenever I hesitate to make the switch, I end up getting too busy, and suddenly it’s 80 degrees, and our shelves are still stocked with wool sweaters, T-shirts nowhere to be found.

So I might as well just do it.

Jameson has a tooth. I thought he had the flu, because his fever started right after mine broke, but after days of fever, cough, and runny nose, there was suddenly the edge of a tooth poking through. Ahh. It all suddenly made sense.

Funny how exciting I think this is. I want to roll my eyes at myself.

Carina had her little Bible study here last night. She asked me to share. I said yes, and then realized how very rusty I am with sharing and such. It’s been awhile since I had to process things the Lord’s shown me in a way that other people would understand. You know?

So, it was the most random and awful (in a preaching-class sense) Bible study I’ve ever conducted. But the girls enjoyed it, and I appreciated the opportunity to jot down thoughts and scriptures and spend that much more time thinking about the work of the Holy Spirit in my heart. I need to do that more.

Jameson and Mara played the whole time like little angels. I couldn’t believe it. What a pleasant surprise.

Easter is coming. I spent yesterday trying to figure out what Jesus was doing on the Tuesday before his death, but at least in Matthew, Monday-Wednesday seems to all run together. Oh well. I got the gist: lots of teaching.

I was thinking about how Jesus died and suffered, thinking about the sorts of diabolic enjoyment his tormentors derived from his pain. Thinking how He could have died just as easily for the sins of the world in a more humane sort of situation, but no. He was subjected to the very worst of human impulse. The sort of evil that makes me shudder in horror — Nazis in Germany, Russion pogroms, African genocides; the sort of evil that lusts to be satisfied by blood; the sort of evil that even we, base as we are, know to be ashamed of — that is the sort of evil He was subject to. He could have died by lethal injection, or at the hands of a firing squad. But no. He looked in the face of our worst moment, and He said, “Father, forgive them.”

Amazing.

Love covers a multitude of sins. Even blood-lust.

I’m so glad He rose, victorious. Don’t you just love Him?