Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert. – Isaiah 43:18-19
Probably the best moments of this family gathering have been the spontaneous, unplanned, serendipitous, seemingly incidental encounters – like:
- When you look up and see a child standing on the porch posing for some ballet rehearsal that’s only going in inside of her head;
- When you realize you and your beautiful wife are the only two people in the town square (we were the only thing going on in Elberton that day!);
- When you observe a grown woman lean her head on her dad’s shoulder;
- When you witness a newly minted four-year-old stare in wonder at her own luminescent creation from the craft table;
- When you look out at the lake from the screened porch and decide you want to build a house right there.
So Wednesday in and around our cabin, saying goodbye to the early departures, watching the rain splash into the lake, then taking a slow stroll and a long lunch in downtown Elberton with Rebekah, the day finally consolidated the gentle rhythms of languid vacation days. Too bad we have to return home so soon.
It is beautiful here, and quiet, and the pace is just right. I believe – to a certain extent – that this is exactly what God intends for us. God is pleased when we pause, and when we listen, and when we notice what is happening around us, and when we celebrate the wonder that is life, and newness, and promise, and when we live into the hope that defines us.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
That’s all. It’s another grateful day in the neighborhood – DEREK
