Tuesday, July 17, 2007

An Order of Good News With a Side of a Parable

Our family was thankfully the recipient of some really good news today, as A. received a job offer from a company with whom she had recently had a series of interviews. They were very impressed with her background and education, and she was equally impressed with the quality of the employees and management at the company -- and especially with the fact that it was the first company she had seen in a while (as either an employee or an applicant) where everyone genuinely seemed happy to be there and actually enjoyed their work. Obviously, we don't know what the future holds for us, particularly with my ongoing search, but this is great news and a great move in the right direction. Now she gets to enjoy just a few more weeks of vacation before she heads back to work -- and two more weeks before our youngest begins her foray into the world of daycare.
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I also had one of those parable moments today, where an incident that I witness suddenly hits me with a different, deeper meaning. MB has been going through an extremely trying phase lately -- trying for her parents. I'm convinced that she skipped over the terrible twos and held out until recently, and we've been feeling the full effect of her tantrums, mood swings, and preschool testiness. Sadly, one of the victims of her mood has been her little stuffed doggy, who has been her closest companion since she was old enough to grab a toy. In the past few days, every time she gets angry about something, doggy is the first one to feel her wrath -- usually being thrown to the floor while MB angrily shouts, "I don't want doggy!"

She did it again today, and not long afterwards her grandmother said, "Well, doggy will still be there when you need him." That was when the parable moment hit: how often do we ignore or throw God aside while we try to do things on our own, or in a way that we shouldn't be doing them, and yet when we get tired, frustrated, or realize that we can't do things on our own, God will still be there when we need Him?

It's a simple message, but one which we often forget. Once again, a little child shall lead them -- even if the "them" is nothing more than our thoughts and our comprehension of the deeper things going on in our lives.

10 comments:

SUSAN said...

I wanted to let you know I appreciate your posts and prayers. I am currently going through a divorce, not something I wanted but had to do as a result of my husband's actions, so though it's not looking like the miracle of healing as a family will happen...I still hold out hope that God is going to help us through to a better place.

Kudos to your wife and I'll keep praying for just the right job for you!

Susan

Anonymous said...

Your "parable" is reminiscent of the posting on 20 June with the Indian boy and his rite of passage. "...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Congratulations to A on the job offer. I know you are both excited about that!

I am so proud of both you and A and all that you have accomplished. You both are in my prayers - along with those wonderful granddaughters!!

Kristen said...

Congratulations to A on her new job - that's wonderful news!

I loved your parable. It reminded, too, of how easy it is to remember God during the hard times when we're most desperate, but then forget how much we still need him during the ordinary, okay times. And, for me, that's usually when I mess up the most - because I'm trying to do it alone. Sometimes that's when it seems God is most distant, too - but it's really me who's distant from him. Because he's always there no matter what. And that's just amazingly wonderful.

karen said...

bless you all for your journey right now. . .new baby, jobs, MB dealing with everything, etc. I think I told you my oldest asked when we were taking the youngest "back"!

Helen said...

Great news about the job and lovely post, children can be so challenging (Jonathan is at this moment throwing a mega strop over something silly!)

I like reading your posts,
God Bless you and your family,
Helen x.

Lone Grasshopper said...

I'm sure this is a dumb question, but why is your daughter going to daycare? I know you are looking for a job, but if you aren't working in two weeks, why would you put her in a daycare center when she could be with you?

You seem to be one of those guys (like my brother) who really likes to be with his kids, so it doesn't make sense.

Bar L. said...

Congrats to A!!!!!

Matt Rhodes said...

LG: That's not a dumb question at all; I suppose that there are several people that have wondered about that. There are two big reasons that we've kept MB in daycare (it's actually a really good Montessori school) during this time:

1. The three days a week that she's attending right now (part-time) has allowed me and A the time we've needed to continue with the job hunt and attend interviews without having to continually try and find a babysitter to come by for a few hours several times a week.

2. More importantly, we strongly believe that she should have as much interaction as possible with kids her own age, particularly since her 5-month-old sister isn't much fun for her at this point:-) Keeping her in an environment like this, even for just a few days a week, has really made a huge difference in both the development of her personality and in the way she is able to relate and develop relationships with other kids.

Don't worry -- I still love spending time with both of my daughters, but A and I are also big believers that we should try and give the oldest as much of a life outside of the home with her friends as possible.

kc bob said...

The simple messages are the best - they are the ones that I can understand. Congrats on the good news Matt!

karen said...

I remember job hunting, Matt, with a youngster. Daycare came in mighty handy so I could concentrate on the phone calls...and not have a toddler suddenly yelling for juice while talking to a potential employer! Yikes! It kept him in his normal routine when I had to go back to work.