Most nights this past week, I woke up around 4 am and tossed and turned restlessly until sunrise.
You see my sweet Jonah was away at church camp and this mama was missing him badly...and if you don't know me... well, just click here...
We all were so excited to see him. Micah had a stomach ache for a few days when he was away and I am convinced that it wasn't a virus but instead his gut was aching for his big brother. Every night before bed, he and I would sit in front of the computer screen and scroll through hundreds of pictures that were so graciously posted daily and search diligently for a glimpse of our Jonah. Whenever his face would grace the page, Micah would beam bright and look at me and tell me how much he missed him...
And now he is finally home!
And I asked him if he cried at all and he told me yes...only when he was worshiping Jesus...(not missing his mama...ahem. But seriously, that alone made up for all of the sleepless nights...)
So tonight we had a special service at church dedicated to camp...
Kids were asked to share about their experiences...Both sets of grandparents even attended...supporting Jonah.
So after the sermon, they invited the campers to come up front for worship...
Jonah bolted straight to the front and I turned to Micah and asked him if he wanted to go as well...
And I should tell you that they had already made an announcement about having ice cream downstairs after the service...
Micah looks up at me and I ask him,
"Do you want to go up front?" (even though he hadn't attended camp, I thought he might like to...)
He looks at me with those huge puppy dog eyes and so innocently asks,
"If we go up front, do we get more ice cream?"
And after telling him, no and that I didn't think so...I got to thinking...
The whole,
as my husband likes to put it...W.I.I.F.M....
(I guess this is an acronym used nowadays out in the business world...)
A.K.A..."What's in it for me?" mentality hits not too far from home...
And it may not be ice cream that is in it for me...
And it also doesn't matter that he did have two bowls, mind you....
What does matter is that I tend to do things, most of the time, expecting something in return...
This full-grown woman... who knows better...unfortunately...
most of the time tends to "DO" to "GET"
"GIVE" to "RECEIVE"
How often do I sacrifice a piece of my time or a bit of my money...only to expect a blessing in return?
And what is the ice-cream blessing that I am craving?
Sometimes....recognition?
Sometimes...a clean conscience?
Sometimes...approval?
Whatever the case may be, I am seeking a satisfying earthly dessert topped with lots of cherries and whipped cream...
And isn't our calling quite the contrary?
"FOR IT HAS BEEN GRANTED TO YOU ON BEHALF OF CHRIST NOT ONLY TO BELIEVE IN HIM, BUT ALSO TO SUFFER FOR HIM" Phil. 1:29
And most of the time suffering does not include trophies or ice-cream sundaes...
What suffering does offer is a deeper faith in a very real GOD...
And that is more priceless than any reward I could ever fathom...even Sander's Hot Fudge, which is saying a lot!!
