The surprise of honey!

"The Lord knows what we need before we ask of Him..."(Matthew 6:8) This is what we experience daily, but toady, in particular, was a testimony of this truth. After about 3 weeks of painful disobedience with hardly a glimpse of relief, where Blake and I are at a loss for ideas and words about where we go next with this...I have been refreshed by my son...actually the Lord's work within his heart. I have not had a day like today in it seems, forever! Blake and I pray consistently that the Lord would soften Andrew's little heart, that he may know the gospel and we also pray that the Lord would show us his mercy by giving us some evidence that his heart is being changed. We pray the first half because we know that only God can open hearts to receive his love. We pray the second half...for us really, that we would not grow discouraged and feel defeated by what is a seemingly impossible task. As Blake and I were talking about what our days were going to look like today, I was at a loss for words. I had no idea...my day was formless...and I had a twinge of dread thinking, "how am I going to fill all of these hours with constructive things?" I knew I did not want to be inside all day, as I feel like this perpetuates a naval gazing experience for all of us. But before the conversation was over, I worked out a plan in my head that seemed reasonable...and marched on. (all this to say, I was apprehensive about what I was going to do with so much time with just me and the kiddos!) I had assembled a string of annoying errands to run that could have been a disaster, seeing how it's a windy 30 degrees, and getting two children in and out of the car multiple times can be a drag for everyone. But to my delight, "The Lord knows what we need before we ask of Him," and He knew that His work would be manifested in Andrew toady and He knew the condition of my heart. The whole day, up until now (he's sleeping!), Andrew has been a different little boy than I have known the last 3 weeks (and this is no small thing from my perspective). He had every reason to be annoyed and discontented with the agenda I had mapped out for today but at every turn, the Lord brought me more and more refreshment. From the tenderness he had towards his little sister, Annie, to the immediate obedience that he demonstrated at every opportunity, to his pleasantness towards all of the strangers that crossed our path and the kind words that he gave to me. Truly, truly, "Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body." (Proverbs 16:24) This truth kept being brought to my mind and resonating in my heart. I am breath taken, humbled and abundantly grateful for how sweet and healing to my soul Andrew's words and actions were today. I sing praise to the Lord for using a little boy to reveal to me His glory today. I am not naive, I certainly know there are harder days right around the corner, but just as God commanded Joshua to erect twelve stones of remembrance in their camp to help their families recount the Lord's faithfulness to one another in bringing them to the Promised Land, I erect this day to the Lord to help me remember and to encourage anyone who may need to hear that the Lord's kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. (Psalm 145:13)