March 31, 2012
For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure.
2 Corinthians 4:17
I can feel the difference in the car as I pull into the parking lot. With a sigh of acquiescence I choose the space that is well lit. A teachable moment, I think as I enter the building to retrieve my daughters from their evening activity. “Come on,” I tell them, “It’s time for you to learn how to change a flat tire.”
They enter into the project with good spirits as I explain and teach and supervise. I offer up thanks to my own father for teaching me this skill. And all at once I know that God is in our work together, in their willingness to put their strength to this task, to take on something new, to meet the difficulty with perseverance and optimism. My own spirit is renewed as I share in their sense of accomplishment.
“Now you know how,” I tell them as we put away the tools. And they do.
And I know as well that they have gained something even more valuable than a life skill: the lived experience of what it is like to overcome adversity.
It is only after we are long home that the rain comes in force.
copyright © Anne E. Kitch 2012
