I tend to want to barrel through life. Thankfully, I am married to a man who knows how to stop.
Knowing I would have a heavy workload the first couple months of the new year, my husband Tom asked me how he could help. I thanked him, but told him he already supports me so much that I couldn’t ask him to do anymore. A few days later, while on a walk in early January, Tom noticed a washed out flyer posted on a light post. Always curious that he is, he stopped to see if he could read the faded words. I worked hard to enjoy the moment rather than roll my eyes. The flyer read, “Neighborhood Chef” As soon as he read the statement I had a Charlie Brown ‘That’s it!’ moment. Cooking! That was where I needed some support.
At our initial meeting, the chef seemed professional, proficient and unintimidated by my dietary restrictions. Now, months later, we are in a real groove. She makes the most delightful and delicious dishes. So much so, that after the first week, Tom remarked, “Cheryl, I haven’t seen you enjoy food like this for years.” He was right.
Who has time to read a washed out sign tacked to a light post? ‘I have an agenda and must stick to the work at hand.’ That my friends, is a modern day misnomer. It is a lie that is continuously stealing our moments to connect to the Creator and opportunities to worship Him through His provision. We are missing the sign posts all around us. We just don’t take the time to read them. They don’t blink fast or hard enough to get our attention. But still, He is there, waiting for us to resist from driving forward. Instead we can pause to read His sign posts along the way so that He can help us, provide for us, remind us …
A few days ago, we took a picture of the sign and it was even more faded. Today we took a walk and to our amazement the sign was gone, replaced with a more urgent need to find a loved and lost black cat.
You can bet the next time Tom wants to stop and look at something, I’ll be right there, peering over his shoulders to get a good glimpse rather than looking at the time and wondering why he is wasting it.
Where can you ‘stop’ today?