Do you ever stoop down to drink out of a fountain only to get hit with a force like that of a fire hydrant? Maybe not....but that is the closest analogy I can come up with to describe what these weeks here have been like. I came with an expectancy of being refreshed by the love and grace that flows through this household from the Father but have been overwhelmed by how God has chosen to lavish His love on me.
It is hard to pinpoint a single moment that captures the essence of what I experience here, but maybe a few highlights of the week can give a better glimpse.
Rebecca, Naomi, and I returned to Ephesians on Saturday for our impromptu Bible studies. Rebecca is such a gifted teacher and I can see why the enemy would want to destroy that ability by causing her to fall and break her neck while hosting a Bible study.....but he didn't know her or her Father who holds her life in His hand. I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was awake when I found myself at the feet of this quadriplegic, hanging on every word as she described the joys of knowing Father and how that surpasses any other desires for her life. It is an incredible privilege to be able to learn from Rebecca during this season.
One of my favorite parts about being here is witnessing the beautiful (that word is inadequate) relationship between Paul and Rebecca. While hosting some friends for dinner Paul described how he and Rebecca "are more in love now than we have ever been" and this is obvious by the way their eyes shine when they see each other, when they kiss good morning, when they tease each other, in the way they speak of each other, and in the thousands of other ways they demonstrate their love for each other. During another dinner party Paul, holding Rebecca's hand, shared about the accident and finding "the love of his life" unconscious at the foot of the stairs and the subsequent journey they have traveled together over the past decade. This beautiful example of true love is also such a testament of their ability to love each other out of the love they receive from abiding in Christ. Their love increases my desire to receive that ability to love by also abiding in Christ.
But not every moment is one of deep reflection or study. In fact what gets us through most of the days is laughter. Rebecca has an incredible sense of humor and loves to tease. I can't even remember what it was that triggered her but we found ourselves in a slap happy mood laughing until we cried. She may be practically paralyzed from the neck down but she is quick to find the upper hand causing me to choose my words very wisely when teasing her. When she says something extremely witty or sharp she'll say "oh the devil made me say that" but it makes everyone laugh....so I doubt that is true. There was lots of laughter as we consumed the best midnight snack last week when Caleb allowed her to sample some of his famous ginger snaps while also giving her the inside scoop of some of his experimental cookies that were later used as a practical joke on Paul and Mary. It is hard, no impossible to accurately describe the joy found in sitting around her bed at midnight laughing, joking ,and eating. The amount of joy she has is contagious causing most of our days to filled with lots of laughter. Which is good because I like to laugh :)
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better" Ephesians 1:17. And that is my desire that my life may be in pursuit of knowing this God who gives us the ability to love as He loves, who gives us joy and laughter, and who chooses to lavish us with love and grace with a force like that of a fire hydrant.
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