Snow Day

Sitting at the dining room table, staring out at the woods and a swirl of white, I am feeling blessed. The commute in a possible 10 to 14 inches of snow was not worth it today, and my morning appointment and lunch appointment are both rescheduled. It feels like a gift. Due to the amazing invention of wireless internet I am able to monitor work from afar, and will be setting up meetings by email - much the same as I would have done in the office. One of the men for whom I work is emailing with me about a future project. I'm really not missing much by being here instead of there.

But what am I gaining? Oh, the list is amazing.

I spent a leisurely time with God, as today's study had me in Matthew 26 and Psalm 55 looking at the topic of betrayal. I cried again as I read of my Savior's time in the garden of Gethsemane. His prayers, His aloneness, His acquiescence to God's sovereignty. And then in Psalm 55 David reveals the heart pain of having a close friend turn on him. As I worked through Day four of Week Five of Breaking Free, I went well beyond the questions and meditated on the pain of those Scriptures. The betrayals I've experienced came to memory. Forgiveness. My favorite passage, Hebrews 4: 14-16, resonated in me again. Jesus understands. He knows disappointment. He knows lonely. He knows betrayal. He knows desertion. He knows temptation. He knows what it is like to repeatedly beg God for Plan B. Oh the relief of realizing that my Savior knows and understands. There is nothing that compares with the intimacy I feel with Jesus. It's worth the hours invested. The benefits are exponential - it's easier and easier to dive in and be heart to heart. (The same as any relationship, the groundwork had to be laid. It was discipline at first to invest the time...) It's so worth it.

I pulled myself off the love seat, (I could stay there all day!) and now am working on my midterm paper due in a couple weeks for my Theology class: "Discuss the theological importance of the Image of God. How does the doctrine bear on contemporary debates about human value?" Having a few extra hours to study is such a gift. I love this studying too.

I'll be able to get 30 minutes in on the treadmill.

I'll be here when Jake gets home, which today is an extra blessing since he'll be running the snow blower. I need to be here during that time, so now he can do it in the daylight. (Frank is out of town)

I can putter - wipe the counters, do the straggler dishes, pick up, put away the laundry on the drying rack...all the things that get neglected from Tuesday to Thursday most weeks. I'll have to work part of Friday to get in my hours, but that's okay.

The best part is the unexpectedness of it. It feels so decadent to be home on a Tuesday. It makes me appreciate again the amazing job that God has provided for me. I know that He provided me this job so that I could make a decent earning in just 3 days a week and devote extra time to study and teaching. I know that. And I appreciate it. And I *love* it! And I do believe that I honor Him with it, remembering the *why* of these extra hours. And I get to be HOME - where my heart truly is. Sigh.

Happy Snow Day.