This weekend, we hosted our yearly MomHeart Conference in Dallas. How wonderful to look out on this sea of women and know that we have all met together to be with the Lord, with like-minded women and to celebrate the divine design of motherhood.
There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make it a time of frenzy for Clay and me and my precious children and those wonderful families who help us. We are blessed indeed to be able to be a part of what the Spirit it doing in this world at this time to help moms love and disciple their children and to cultivate faithfulness to their husbands. It is exciting and grand and hundreds of people flittering around and basking together in ideas. There was a wonderful tea with possibilities of sharing life with so many other moms.
But......
When I come home and can sit on my child's bedside and hear her heart desires and thoughts and dreams;
When I can soothe a brow and speak comfort into the life of a weary friend or make Clay a warm meal and welcome him home;
when Sarah comes downstairs, and gives me gracious words and gentles down my weary soul;
and Joy in her pj's reading us idealistic poems she has been pondering in bed with a cup of tea;
then I experience the Kingdom of God, because Jesus is here with us.
It is in the taking a cup of cold water to one who is thirsty, clasping a real hand, looking deeply into the eyes of one so close and seeing love--this is personal, real, life-touching, giving of self. This is where the kingdom of God is--where Jesus can be real.
Jesus chose to stay in one place and to model for all of eternity that touching, taking children in His arms, giving gracious forgiveness to a woman scorned by so many men after being used, touching lepers who had longed for touch for so long, laughing, rollicking, eating with a gang of twelve rough-edged men-- this was His reflection to us, the essence of the kingdom of God--right here, right now.
Ministry is personal and deep into the real lives of those in our midst. And so I find peace and joy here in my home where the Kingdom of God is at hand and real to me and to those I love. I am so much more comfortable in my home, away from crowds, just being a normal mom to my kids. It is the place of life and where profound things are really happening--the weaving of faith, goodness, beauty and miracles are all possible as we share in Him together.