faith like a child

at my work, there aren't many men. out of about thirty people, there are two men. but these men are absolutely precious. one is an older Indian(dot not feather) man and Ed, a 24-year-old man with aspergers, a mild form of autism. I tell you this background to preface my story...

everyday, sweet Ed comes into my office, shakes my hand, and asks me how my day is going. somedays I will shamefully admit, I get annoyed with him. other days, he makes my heart leap. today was one of those days.

Ed walks into my office trying to sell me some candy that another co-worker but him up to for her child's school fundraiser-he is an amazing salesman. :) we did our usual shpea. he asked me how my day was. I asked him how his new job was(he was recently moved from a front clerk position to an outreach job entering shot records into our computer database.

today his answer to my question about his new position was a bit different. he said, "well, lauren, have you seen the movies facing the giants?" I said yes. he said, "well I never would have learned this had it not been for that movie." I said learned what? he proceeded to tell me that he learned that no matter what job you are doing that you should give it your all and do your best. then, he said, "and if I fail, I will praise him, and if I succeed, I will praise him. But, no matter what, I will give it my all." He repeated himself once more by saying, "I never would have known this without seeing facing the giants." my reply was something about how great I thought that outlook on work was.

but wait, there is more. then, sweet Ed sees the book I am reading on my desk. he says the title of the book out loud, "have a little faith." then he says, "you know lauren, that book is right. did you know that with just a little faith you can ask a mountain to move out of your way and it will?" I  said you are so right Ed. he said, "Yep, you can wipe that mountain down to the sea with just a little faith."

Ed. he is a beautiful picture of the child-like faith and simplicity that I so desire, but allow the worries of the world to cloud. the Lord uses the most basic conversations to remind me of Him. of the purpose. of faith. of trust.

today I am thankful for Ed and his sweet spirit that is completely sold out, without a shadow of a doubt on His creator and sustainer. I know he could move any mountain.

never a dull moment

soo, my job. everyday I am guaranteed: to have a surprise, to practice spanglish, to use my arms in an "ape-like" fashion to signify too much weight gain, to be attacked as I exit my office by someone saying, "excuse me, ma'am," to counsel a minimum of three different ethnic groups. there is really not a dull moment.

lately, I have been rocking some of my parents' worlds by offering simple advice. we sometimes take for granted things that seem like common sense to "most" people. let me offer you some examples: you should brush your teeth daily, it is bad for your teeth if you eat candy and drink soda everyday, it is not appropriate for your two-year-old to stay up until 3:00 am on the computer, you should not chew food up in your mouth and then feed it to your child, you are the parent and your child should not tell you what to do and my personal favorite-it is okay if your child cries when you don't give them exactly what they want (the response to this one, "oh no ma'am. it is bad for him to cry. he will get sick.")

it blows my mind the response to my advice. it is usually something like, "I had no idea. thank you so much doctor." yep, that's right. in case you didn't know, I am now a doctor.

all of these examples make my job look a bit like a joke but these are just the ones that make me laugh. there are many instances when I feel the Lord is telling me this is exactly where he wants me. like today when I talked to a mom for an hour about her child that was failure to thrive. these are my favorite moments. the moments when i realize why i went to school. why i am where i am.

i would be lying if I said that I am completely content with my job every second of every day. i have a pretty incredible case of wander lust most of the time. always waiting for the next thing. place to move. people to meet. what i am learning now is: our God is not a circumstantial God. whether here or there. married or single. alone or surrounded. clothed or naked. content or discontent. beneath shelter or in the pouring rain. He is in me and using me exactly where i am. this is where i find rest in the moments when my heart wanders to what will be.

"the Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:19

ps i got to see this lady last weekend and it was incredible. she needs to make like a bird and head south.