God walked through the corridor of time and paused to take note of me.  He already knew my history, and my husband's past as well.  We were broken, He knew that.  He shook his head.  He had been working on us for a long while now, but he wasn't finished--anywhere near.

A divine idea popped into his mind, and nine months later, she was born.  We named her Christina.  Wow!  That Divine Father of mine is smart.  He knew just what it would take to bring me out of the self-focused, overly anxious, mess that I was.  What I could not do for myself, He would do for me through a tiny bundle of love.

It wasn't that easy.  This child would be a barometer of my growth in some ways, for along with the gift of her life, he instilled in me the desire--the overwhelming desire--to be the best mother He could have chosen for the job.  Not perfect by any means, but perfectly chosen, for my Divine Father, unlike me, does not make mistakes.  What I could not do for myself, I could--and would--do for her.

Michael, her daddy, felt the same way about it.  He had many goals, for he was, and is, and ambitious man.  But the strongest and most intense desire in his life, by far, was--and is--to be the best daddy he could be to the beautiful little girl that learned to call him by that name.

So, there we were.  Two broken people, patched up and picked up and pursued by a God who seemed to think we were, or could be, up to the most important task He had to offer, bringing up one of his children in the nurture and knowledge of Himself.

She grew, and we grew as well.  Our hearts somehow moved outside our individual bodies and became entwined with hers. 

Yet once again, the Divine Father paused to take note of us.  I believe He saw our hearts, that He looked past our faults and failures and knew us by the best we had to offer, and He was pleased.

I can almost see him glancing around at the free spirits contained within his Kingdom, watching them dance on the lawn, splash in the crystal stream, pluck fruit from the trees that bordered the living water that flowed past.  And then one of them, a darling dare-angel (I almost said dare devil but we all know that spirits in His Kingdom are more angelic than, well.... the other), drew back her arm and took aim.  In a playful gesture full of love, she splattered the Divine Father with a ripe plum.  He laughed and ran to catch her up in his arms, hugging her close to his chest, for he missed her already.  He had chosen.

Nine months later, Bethany came dancing into the world.  Her enormous blue eyes captured my heart, and her daddy's, before they even had her swaddled and cleaned up.

Unlike her sister, Bethany wanted to do everything at once.  While Christiana was deep and contemplative, Bethany was deep and impulsive.  Divine Father, are you sure you know what you are doing?  After all, Mike and I are still somewhat broken, though we are doing our best to mend.

Heavenly laughter, the kind that heals the soul, echoed through the chambers of our heart, filling us with confidence and joy.  We could do this, not because we were perfect for the job, but because the job was perfect for us, and the child--once again--was chosen.  "He who has begun a good work in you will perform it"  all the way to the end.

The end of what?  The end of the task.  The completion.  All done.  Finished.  When do we reach the end, Father?

Every end, as someone has pointed out, is a new beginning in some way.  Mike and I have come up fast--to an end and a beginning. The end of parenting children--for Christina at 20 and Bethany at 17, are young women who have chosen to live on their own and see each other through the final act of growing up.  Christina, in her own deep contemplative way, and Bethany in her fast, deep, impulsive way--more spontaneous now that maturity has done its work on her than impulsive. Each of them beautiful--inside and out--and ready to launch into the next phase of life with joy and excitement.

Mike and I hold hands and look into the sunset of our life--hoping for many years of golden hued horizons before the twilight years set in.  We are here for you our, daughters, in a different way, but just as close, just as committed, and every bit as involved in the completion God has promised as we were 20 and 17 years ago.  We have taken a step back so that you can meet with God in a different way as He passes through the corridors of your lives--and this is our gift to you. 

It is up to you, now, to manage the splendor!

©

Linda settles

www.RedeemingOurTreasures.com