I know I can't exactly pretend like I haven't skipped a month of writing something on this blog, but why make a big deal out of it? I do know that some have actually continued to check our blog faithfully, and to you I say thanks for caring! I'm really going to try harder…
We've been busy in the past month or so, with a variety of visitors staying with us in pretty close succession (we have a good friend here right now, in fact). I think by now our kids pretty much expect to have someone staying with us every week, and when I mention driving somewhere, Maggie is starting to assume that I'll be bringing someone back from the airport.
Having so many friends visit has been a blessing in many ways. We've been reminded of the joyful privilege it is to have friends – and reminded as well what a means of grace Christian friendships can be. Not that we have no Christian friends who live here in North Wales, but when people just pop into your life for a few days or a week of concentrated “friendship” and then leave just as quickly, you tend to feel their presence and absence a little more acutely than those you see more often. And what a range of feelings! Excitement (because they're coming), relief (because they're finally here), fatigue (because we all stayed up late – again), hilarity (often when up late), urgency (because you don't want to neglect your regular responsibilities), longing (from reminders of friends you've left behind), elation (over good news from home), and, of course, gloom (because our home seems so empty when they've gone).
We would not want to have friends visiting all the time (who would?!?), but the Lord has taught us a lot through this past stretch as well as given us things to think about and work on for the future. Things like: How do we stay close to the Lord when our routine is disrupted for several days? How can I lead our home in a way that makes visitors feel welcome, protects Marcia from wearing herself out too much, prevents the kids from going completely feral for lack of normal discipline, and leaves me room to carry on with the work to be done in Abergele? We so want to build a family life that displays the grace of God to people who visit – but not in a put-on preachy kind of way. Of course, that requires not mere doing of certain things but actually being a certain kind of person – through the grace of God.
9 August 2009
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