Onions, Plums and Patience

Ah...the days when I could leisurely peruse the produce-laden aisles of the neighborhood market. Oh, to gingerly finger the bags of pasta, spending minute upon minute contemplating whole wheat or regular. To shiver as I stroll through the towers of freezers that flirtatiously offer a peek of the sweets and creamy desserts behind its doors.

But not this time.

THIS time, I am the picture of frazzled momma. No more leisurely perusing, only frantically fumbling through each aisle trying to keep Audrey and Reid from taking a bite out of the onions and plums perfectly piled in a produce pyramid! Thankfully, by the end of our jaunt, almost every plum and onion was safely tucked into its home. And yes, I said ALMOST. One breakdown and an incident with an exploding bottle of body wash later, we were all buckled into our seats headed home.

Scripture says that God's "invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. (Rom. 1:20)" Thus, I can be sure that since I have been made, my children have been made and every single piece of produce in the neighborhood market has been made, today I have seen God's invisible attributes in an excursion to the grocery store. I have seen that though my patience is ever thinning and often bursting in my face, His is continuous and reliable. When I'm running around the store in my heart, crashing into displays of His provision and goodness, He coerces me back to the cart to walk alongside Him. Sometimes, He even lets me get hurt. He lets me get lost. He lets me chase after the dream that darts around each corner just inches out of reach. For it is then that I see that with Him I am healed, with Him I am found and with Him my dreams are His.