Thursday, May 2, 2013

Reaching...

One of these days, I'm going to have a shirt made that says this:

Life is a musical...it's meant to be sung!  
 
It's no secret that I love musical theatre.  My not-so-secret ambition in life since I was in junior high is to get the role of "Little Red Riding Hood" in a production of Sondheim's "Into the Woods." Sadly, I think my ship may have sailed on that one, but I would totally be OK with getting to potray one of the older ummm, "more mature" characters in the show. My last theatrical opportunity was for a different show though: "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." 

Potiphar's Wife in "Joseph..."
Lucy loves the story of "Joe-fuss" and asks to watch the DVD of it all the time, and since the theatre I performed with is a very family-friendly theatre, their version of the musical is one I don't have a problem with her watching.  And I think Lucy knows I have a soft spot for musicals, because it's hard for me to say "no" to her when she asks if we can watch it:)  Well, yesterday was one of those days when she "twisted my arm" into watching part of "Joe-fuss."  It was funny because when I turned it on, not only was Lucy glued to the television, but so was Gabriel!  This may sound totally ridiculous, but honestly, my heart melted just a little bit seeing both of my children so excited to watch a musical!  LOL:)  When we turned it off, Lucy said, "Momma!  Even baby brother likes Joe-fuss!  That means we can watch it ALL the time now!  I'm going to watch Joe-fuss forEVER...even in Heaven, I'm going to watch Joe-fuss...is there a TV in Heaven?"

I smiled:)

After a performance of "Joseph..." in 2010
"Well, Lucy, I kind of doubt there's a TV in Heaven, because you know what we're going to be doing in Heaven?  Praising Jesus!  We're going to be SO excited to be in God's presence that we won't want to do anything else but praise Him...but if a TV will help us praise Jesus, then there will be one there.  But you know what, Lucy?  We have to ask Jesus into our hearts and let Him be the Lord--the boss--of our lives if we want to go to Heaven..."  Oh how I pray for our children to come to know Jesus at an early age!  And what a blessing it is to see all of the ways that conversation can come up:)

Fast forward to this morning when I was having my quiet time and read the following words in "My Utmost for His Highest":

The proof that we have the vision is that we are reaching out for more than we have already grasped...Our reach must exceed our grasp.

When I read those words, a song immediately popped into my head (remember my t-shirt slogan??;-) that I hadn't heard in probably 12 years.  The song is called "Reaching," and it is by Carolyn Arends.  (If you haven't heard of it, it's probably because it's from 1995!)  The chorus says this:

We are reaching for the future 
We are reaching for the past 
And no matter what we have we reach for more 
We are desperate to discover 
What is just beyond our grasp 
But maybe that's what Heaven is for

"reaching" for a win--Lucy's Track Day at School on 5/1/13
I never used to understand that song. The part that says, "that's what heaven is for" struck me as odd because it seemed to place the focus of Heaven on something we are to attain, and I don't believe that's accurate.  But after reading Oswald Chamber's words this morning in my devotional, the song's meaning struck me in a different way.  The point I was struck with is this: Until we reach Heaven, we will never fully "arrive" at where we are supposed to be. And once we have tasted just a bit of the Lord, we can't help but want more and more and more. We long for what is out of of our reach, and that's what we live for-to attain more and more of HIM in our lives...and that really is what Heaven is about--that place where we will finally reach what we so long to grasp but are unable to on our own: Jesus.

These days, Gabriel is constantly reaching for things "just beyond his grasp." He pulls up on everything and anxiously grabs for whatever his little hands can maneuver his way. His favorite place right now is the organ bench in our entry way that has several crosses on top of it. He's always trying to reach for the crosses and pull them down. As I picked him up for the fifth time today to move him away from the crosses on the organ bench, I was reminded at the importance that I ever find myself reaching for the cross.  Heaven is not something I can attain, because it is a gift that God gives His children, but the journey from here to there is one I have to consciously make an effort towards.  Our purpose is to bring God glory.  Am I truly making that my goal and reaching out for Him in all that I say and do?  I pray it is, and that my children will do the same...

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