Family, Faith and Food! (Chapel A Day 2013: Day 4)
Saturday was a beautiful day… in more ways than one. The sun was shining and this is the view that greeted me when I awoke.
Trust me… it’s not my view. It is borrowed from my cousins who’ve made much smarter real estate choices than I have made!
Saturday was also beautiful because of my cousins—the ones who have this view—and two more who were visiting from Texas. We hung out Friday night and all day Saturday. We talked and laughed and ate—then we talked and laughed and ate some more… then we went to lunch!
It was late in the day on Saturday when I remembered my Lenten promise— to carve out an hour a day to sit quietly in a chapel—feeding NOT my face… but my spirit!
Confession.
I didn’t want to leave them! We were having so much fun that breaking away was hard! But one of my cousins (Julie-you’re my heart!) is keenly aware of my 40 day commitment… and I wanted to be accountable to her.
We began searching for nearby chapels or churches that might be open on a Saturday afternoon. Turns out there was a Catholic church just up the road that had a 5:00 Mass scheduled.
Even though it was just a bit after 3:00, this Methodist girl decided to drive over and go visitin’. I went inside and took a spot in the back. It was quiet. The sun was streaming through the stain glass window above the altar. It was beautiful.
I wish I could tell you that something miraculous happened… or that I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment, as I did yesterday (see Day 3) or that I received divine inspiration, communication or direction.
I. Did. Not.
But, I sat there for the hour. I prayed, meditated and read devotional scriptures. When the hour was up, I left. I felt peaceful and happy—but nothing more than normal.
And, that’s okay.
Not every visit to church—or every quiet time spent in devotional readings — or every Sunday School class has to be a mountaintop experience. Don’t be discouraged if you leave from those places feeling—well—just ‘normal.’
Those people we read about in the Bible—they had LOTS of normal days. But, the ones who understood the importance of discipline—discipline in study, prayer, and the time apart—were the ones who were most prepared for the BIG moments when they finally came!
I went back to my cousins’ house feeling so happy that I’d been given this time with them. Happy that I can have ‘normal’ moments with family, fellowship and yes, FOOD! Happy to know that until the BIG moments come… ‘normal’ is a gift.