Beautiful things

I suppose maybe I was feeling sappy yesterday because it was Mother's Day and we were at my brother and sister in law's church for baby dedication (or maybe it was because it was only like the 3rd time this year we've been able to attend a worship service due to our crazy baseball schedule) but as I looked around the room I was struck with the beauty of all of the young families around us.  I'm only in my early 30s (even though my lack of hair would suggest otherwise) but 10 years ago I was certainly not focused on building a Christ-centered home like many of those who stood at the front of the room dedicating their babies and vowing to raise the up and teach them the Word, something I still struggle to do with our family of 5.

It was this mindset that led me to be struck by the opening verse of the next song that was played, one that I've heard a million times before--Beautiful Things by Gungor:

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

Although maybe not in those exact words as I'm certainly no poet (or writer for that matter), at certain times in my life the last line of that verse was a recurring thought of uncertainty and a reflection of the mess I was.  Whether it was broken relationships, divorce, financial chaos or other general screwups, there have been many times where I've thought "how the heck did I end up here??"  My wife has shared that she had similar thoughts and at times had all but given up on family life as she envisioned it, yet out of both of our broken lives God made something beautiful that has pushed us to strive for more than we were before, whether it be in prayer, relationships, finances, you name it.  

Our blended family has grown from 3 to 5 (and inversely cars from 6 to 4) and the associated blessings at an exponential rate to that.  Talk about something beautiful springing up from the weed filled ground that is our lives, there's no explanation for the change other than a loving God guiding and providing for us as we grapple for the ultimate purpose of our lives which becomes clearer and clearer as we progress, grow, love, and connect.  We still make a mess of things from time to time (ok pretty much daily) but clean it up together with the help of the Spirit and have a lifetime of learning and growing still to do which is something I look forward to with great anticipation...