I am a fairly predictable person: a woman of steady habits raised in the land of steady habits — New England. If left to myself, I would be found with a good book and a cup of tea. Unfortunately, with four children (and now grandchildren), I am rarely left to myself. I am, in other words, a predictable person living an unpredictable life. Offspring will do that to you. One minute you’re sitting there, drinking your tea and reading something like ‘How to organize your life in 10 easy steps.’ The next minute you answer the phone and you are living ‘How to keep your life from spinning out of control in 1 frantic step’. It ain’t easy.

But that’s motherhood — yet apparently not ALL motherhood. I have friends (also mothers) who tell me that they are living vicariously though my stories. My stories, and my children, often make for a good laugh. Usually afterward. And always because I believe a good laugh outranks a good cry.

It wasn’t always this way. There was a time in my life when I was a young, liberal, feminist, law student; well on my way to solving all the problems of the world. I married a young Naval Aviator and began to travel the world. During the next years, I had 4 children and suddenly all the problems of that world seemed to move into my living room. They had names: Ashley, Bobby, Katie and Jackie.

As time went by, I began to realize that, just perhaps, I wasn’t sure how to solve all the problems of the world. Heck, on some days, I no longer even had a clue as to what the problems were. But.I hung in there and slowly, as the Lord used my ‘problems’ to grow my faith in Him, my focus became much clearer. And as my focus grew clearer; I began to realize just how OUT of focus so much of this world is…

That belief has only been strengthened during the ensuing years as my children grew up. I worked ‘inside’ the home as a Navy wife and mother; and once they entered school, I worked ‘outside’ the home as a family and criminal defense lawyer; then a public school teacher; speaker and author. After tending to hundreds (thousands?) of different lives lived out in all different ways; my own focus has grown even clearer. There is a difference between the adopted children of God (Christ’s siblings) and everyone else. The older you get — the more stark the difference becomes. It is the difference between a wedding feast — and a funeral. At a wedding feast, there is more than abundant joy and love to go around. ‘Are you suffering, my friend? Come, join us, let us share your load.’ These are the things one hears at a wedding feast. At a funeral, one bemoans the futility of it all. Cynicism, ridicule and sarcasm reign — between self-serving ‘offers’ of ‘help’. That’s how they ‘share the load.’ Turn on the TV if you need a demonstration.

Christians go through life, good and bad, while enjoying the wedding feast of the lamb. Those unconnected to the Holy Spirit, whether inside or not — don’t. I now understand the heartbreak of Jesus as he looked around and saw the people ‘like sheep, without a shepherd.’ They are so lost; and the greatest tragedy often is — they don’t even know it.

For just as a camera lens has difficulty focusing in dark places, so our spiritual lenses are skewed for lack of spiritual light. Our culture is growing darker; and focusing is harder than ever… For the past few years I have felt as though I were sounding a clarion call to look deeper; a clarion call to wake up. It is a call that we, as followers of Christ, are desperately needed to sound more and more these days. Shall we?

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