Tip of My Iceberg

Most of the family came home for Easter. For a variety of reasons. I’d love to say they all came to be with us.

That’s only partially true.

The real reason stemmed from Courtney’s sisters all wanting to throw her a bridal shower. In five months, she’ll be Mrs. Michael Wickberg.

We love Michael. He’s a warm-hearted, generous-spirit kind of a guy who loves my daughter well. And though Courtney’s joyfully anticipating the wedding, she’s been a little scattered. Her job adds to that. But frankly, a lot of it is just who Courtney is.

So the sisters and sister-in-law have been working to get her organized. To help her clean up the details of her upcoming nuptials. She hadn’t thought of registering for gifts. Jillian walked her through the process. She loses focus on time restrictions. Melody helps her stay on task. She didn’t know what she wanted in a shower. Tiffany and Debbie came up with the theme and created an incredible ambience with their crafts and special touches. (This is where Pinterest can be a delight to those who love the letters DIY. I don’t DIY. I typically look for someone who can DIB–do it better than I ever could.) And Heather generously offered her home for the occasion. Which meant relocating her husband and four children for most of the day. And cleaning. And cooking.

A labor of love. A celebration. Six young women coming together to enjoy and encourage one of their own.

I don’t remember this good gal-pal camaraderie while they were growing up.

They had their moments. But I remember times wondering if they’d even like each other when they got older.

They’re all so different. Same family–Jillian just married into it–but their stories are so individual, so uniquely different from each other. As parents, we didn’t treat them differently. Mark, the one son, might say their unifying aspect was making his life miserable. But they’ve loved him well.

I think they’ve learned, as they’ve gotten older, to value their differences instead of seeing different as uncomfortable.

And they play well together. As adults. Which brings laughter. Contagious laughter.

If I could be more focused on delighting in others, no matter how different from me, maybe I wouldn’t get so bent out of shape by people who might be a bit prickly. A bit challenging.

Find the fun in the difference of others.

I just finished the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. Fun to read, it pointed out the challenge we all have with people who are different from us. People we don’t think fit.

I have to ask myself why I think I fit? What am I fitting into?

And why is it so important to fit?

God sees all of us as fitting into His bigger picture. Because He delights in who we each are. In the midst of all our differences–and prickliness.

“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a Mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”   Zephaniah 3:17

Isn’t that what we all want? For someone to find us delightful? Even if we’re different?

My girls have shown me that. God has proven that.

How do you handle different?