Small Mercies

I was talking on the phone with one of my closest friends this morning, and we were laughing about how different our lives are right now.

In short: She's busy. I'm not.

Besides her normal family and home responsibilities, Lisa volunteers at her sons' school one day a week. She and her husband co-lead one of their church's small group. They also run a karate school out of their home, in addition to the home-based business her husband operates. She has a wide circle of friends. And she's got her immediate family in town, which means weekly visits and check-ins.

I have ... very little. I co-lead a Bible study for our MOPS women. I have a toddler at home (which Lisa doesn't have; her boys are the same age as Connor and Natalie, so her kids are all in school). And I'm obviously growing a human.

But other than that? My plate is practically empty. I don't even have the kids signed up for any kind of lessons right now (other than karate, which has a come-whenever-you-want policy) or a weeknight church group. We are largely just home, with little to no outside commitments.

This is strange for me. My friends can testify -- I am the opposite of a homebody. Normally, I have great difficulty staying at home for even one full day. If my calendar is empty, I will fill it up faster than you can say "Are you free tomorrow?"

Yet this fall, my schedule is wide open.

This is one of God's small mercies. I didn't have the mental capacities to recognize it until this morning. But He knew that, this fall, I wouldn't have the energy for anything outside of my immediate family. So he emptied my calendar without me even being aware.

(In fact -- I just remembered this. In August, our worship pastor asked me to be on a team of writers for our church's Christmas drama. I was so excited by the potential, I practically said "YES!" before I left his office. But I dutifully said, "Maybe I should pray about it first." And after a week's worth of prayer, I had no peace about the idea -- which frustrated me. But having learned my lesson before, I regretfully informed Scott that I couldn't accept his invitation this year. Now I understand why.)

I am humbled at God's love for even this tiny thing in my life.

What about you? What small mercy has God shown you lately?

(Post script: After I wrote this, I realized it fit perfectly with the weekly Tuesdays Unwrapped carnival over at Chatting at the Sky. So I linked up . That's a wonderful link-fest, if you want to read more about God revealing Himself through even the most mundane of circumstances.)