Today marks day 40 on the field. And the Biblical parallels are everywhere. 40 day fast, 40 days of rain… I mean, we asked for God’s Holy Spirit to pour down, and it’s all we’ve been able to do to stay afloat.
A lot of good things happen in Month 2 that didn’t happen Month 1. You start to figure out what’s important and where your priorities need to be. You start to figure out how to work things out, and community starts coming without forcing it.
But by Month 2, you’re way more aware of the scope of things. You’re more testy, you’re more snappy, you’re more distracted. It becomes harder to engage, harder to press in, harder to find energy, harder to maintain focus.
Luckily for us, God knows just what we need. And when the strands of trust and grace and engagement are stretched to their limit, and we just don’t know what else to do, God sends us His greatest gift:
Head lice.
We didn’t go into ministry this morning. Because in fact, ministry wasn’t what we needed. God before team, team before ministry. And over a breakfast of scrambled eggs, and a hair-full of the same, it became very clear, God gave Caitlin lice to bring us closer as a family.
She got it because we needed it. With two teams in the house, all 14 of us virtually sharing 1 room, it has been hard to build into our team as much as we need to. And when it’s become easier to make an excuse to keep quiet rather than talk about what needs to be talked about, God made it impossible for us not to press in.
We spent the morning with Caitlin the Lice Queen in a chair in the kitchen, hair all done up like royalty, Sheri picking through like a monkey. Thank God for Sheri’s willingness. Thank God for Caitlin’s attitude. Every time Sheri found an egg, she’d announce it in a regal proclamation. And I, being quick to help, stopped everything to blow into the elephant figurine whistle that Lauren bought last night at the night market, trumpeting the occasion with a sharp squeal. Samson made us eggs, and the jokes never got old. And then Sheri screamed in excitement, “I FOUND THE MOTHERLOAD” and pointed out a fat mama to all of us, promptly to lose it again in Caitlin’s new up-do.
Family struggles to press in. It doesn’t always see eye to eye, and it sometimes finds it hard to tell everyone everything. But the bonds run deep and you can’t escape it, no matter how hard you try. And God will get you over yourself, even when you can’t seem to get there on your own. Today was such a beautiful reminder that God’s on our side, and that He’ll push us into engagement whether we want to or not. Thank God we can recognize today as a gift. Thank God He’s given us eyes to see the lesson’s He plans to teach us, and thank God we’re all humble enough to be here where He’s put us, and pick through hair when the hair needs picking. Thank God He’s already given us plans to put together a rap about it.
Let there be lice.
Love,
Danny
