Mondays are grocery store day at our house. I am not sure why I do that to myself on Monday morning but alas it just works. Sister was singing and dancing her way through the store today as normal. I was not paying a lot of attention to what she was singing just trying to keep her moving and away from stacking things as she loves to do with the yogurt, butter, etc. while also trying to keep brother entertained (poor guy always stuck shopping with the women). We finally finished and payed and I came out of survival mode to listen in to the words that sister was actually singing. She was singing over and over again, “I am constant and I am HOLY!” She has my problem of remembering words to songs and their order in the song but I knew exactly what she was singing. I played a song during my workshop on Sabbath a few weeks ago which embodies a great picture of Sabbath REST to me and while I was away Brad played this song for her in the midst of her asking repetitively where I was that weekend and it stuck. Here are the words. . .

I Am by Jill Phillips

Oh gently lay your head
Upon my chest
And I will comfort you
Like a mother while you rest
The tide can change so fast,
But I will stay
The same through the past,
The same in future, same today

CHORUS:
I am constant; I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy; I am wise
I’m the only one who knows your heart’s desires
Your heart’s desires

Oh weary, tired and worn,
Let out your sighs
And drop that heavy load you hold
Cause Mine is light

I know you through and through;
There’s no need to hide
I want to show you love
That is deep and high and wide

CHORUS(2x)

Oh gently lay your head
Upon my chest
And I will comfort you
Like a mother while you rest

I do feel that this is at the heart of Sabbath REST. I feel that God sings this over us! Come rest! Come let out your sighs! He is constant, near, peace, HOLY, wise and He knows our hearts! He knows what we long for even better than we know. When we rest in His presence, when we rest in His word He meets us!

So back to the story. . . Sister is singing this song and it just hits me that I am SO focused on survival (of the grocery store even) that I am missing “ordinary moments of God’s GRACE all around me-moments that He would like to use to replenish and refuel me” (taken from GRACE an invitation to a way of life by Ortberg, Penderson and Pling). I am not being present! I am not hearing the song of praise that my little one is lifting up. I am missing smiles that brother is giving strangers. I am missing the warmth of the sun as I walk into the store. I am missing the smiles of strangers to my children. Why am I missing all these things. . .because I am so intent on getting in and out and moving on. I don’t want to miss God’s grace in the midst of my day. I want to be present and breath it in deeply. There is a HOLY God who is constant in my every moment! I don’t want to miss that!!!