In Search Of: Easter Eggs
Seeking has been a new pasttime of mine lately, and I thought I would cement a few of my musings on here, one post at a time, mainly for myself to read in retrospect someday, but perhaps someone else in a similar season might find comfort in a shared vein of thought.
Once upon a time during my (early part of the) decade of knee-socks and red Buster Browns, my doting parents took me to my first ever Easter Egg hunt sponsored by a beloved local park. I brought my very own pearly pink basket filled with translucent green grass and was instructed by my attentive parents to listen to instructions spoken over the amphitheater's speakers. We were told that all over the expansive grassy knoll there were hundreds of plastic eggs for us pint-sized candy hunters to claim. The cluster of trees to the right, left and center of the amphitheater were the limits. The announcer hushed the crowd as he added one last word of instruction: There are hundreds of eggs, all filled with candy...but only ONE GOLDEN EGG with a gift certificate to a local toy store tucked inside. One - and only one- lucky little basket would hold this treasure and when it was found, the hunt would be over. At the signal, a hundred little legs sprung to action with hundreds of tiny hands reaching out for eggs that shook with jelly beans and pastel peanuts. But not mine.
My dad and mom watched as their daughter darted all over the large grassy expanse like a rabbit on Speed, never slowing down to pick up the eggs that grew like clover on the grass. Not once did they see their little blessing stoop to scoop up a plastic capsule of candy. The moments passed and the whistle blew to indicate the capture of the Golden Egg and end of the hunt. I emerged from the trees with nary an egg nestled in my green faux grass and an expression of defeat on my face.
"I only wanted the golden egg!!!" was my response to their dismayed questioning. While all the other children began their journey towards a sugar coma, we climbed into the car and without a gram of sugar to our name, drove away from my last ever Easter Egg Hunt at the beloved local park.
This story comes to my mind often, as I think about the hindrances of seeking after what God has made me to do during my short stint on planet Earth. I have in mind what I think it might look like, but assuming that "golden egg" is what God has for me, puts me at risk of missing out on all the good things right at my feet, which very well may hold clues that point me in a different direction altogether. I am also wise not to fill up the basket of my time with activities that are fine and good, but in the end, will leave me lethargic and too tired to perceive God's very specific desires for me and this adventure we are on.
There is a new season at my doorstep, one in which I will have a little more breathing room to seek and more availability to offer myself outside of motherhood. My five children will be in school all day, every day. I will have more time on my hands then I have had for over nine years. {I won't lie...it sends tingles of delight down my spine.} I've refrained from filling up my calendar and I have purposed to neither overfill my basket with commitments made out of obligation or cultural norms...nor to singularly pursuit something until I feel a Divine nudge in that direction. And as God is consulted and directs, it is then that I would do well to run with abandon. Like a rabbit on Speed.
***
Once upon a time during my (early part of the) decade of knee-socks and red Buster Browns, my doting parents took me to my first ever Easter Egg hunt sponsored by a beloved local park. I brought my very own pearly pink basket filled with translucent green grass and was instructed by my attentive parents to listen to instructions spoken over the amphitheater's speakers. We were told that all over the expansive grassy knoll there were hundreds of plastic eggs for us pint-sized candy hunters to claim. The cluster of trees to the right, left and center of the amphitheater were the limits. The announcer hushed the crowd as he added one last word of instruction: There are hundreds of eggs, all filled with candy...but only ONE GOLDEN EGG with a gift certificate to a local toy store tucked inside. One - and only one- lucky little basket would hold this treasure and when it was found, the hunt would be over. At the signal, a hundred little legs sprung to action with hundreds of tiny hands reaching out for eggs that shook with jelly beans and pastel peanuts. But not mine.
My dad and mom watched as their daughter darted all over the large grassy expanse like a rabbit on Speed, never slowing down to pick up the eggs that grew like clover on the grass. Not once did they see their little blessing stoop to scoop up a plastic capsule of candy. The moments passed and the whistle blew to indicate the capture of the Golden Egg and end of the hunt. I emerged from the trees with nary an egg nestled in my green faux grass and an expression of defeat on my face.
"I only wanted the golden egg!!!" was my response to their dismayed questioning. While all the other children began their journey towards a sugar coma, we climbed into the car and without a gram of sugar to our name, drove away from my last ever Easter Egg Hunt at the beloved local park.
This story comes to my mind often, as I think about the hindrances of seeking after what God has made me to do during my short stint on planet Earth. I have in mind what I think it might look like, but assuming that "golden egg" is what God has for me, puts me at risk of missing out on all the good things right at my feet, which very well may hold clues that point me in a different direction altogether. I am also wise not to fill up the basket of my time with activities that are fine and good, but in the end, will leave me lethargic and too tired to perceive God's very specific desires for me and this adventure we are on.
There is a new season at my doorstep, one in which I will have a little more breathing room to seek and more availability to offer myself outside of motherhood. My five children will be in school all day, every day. I will have more time on my hands then I have had for over nine years. {I won't lie...it sends tingles of delight down my spine.} I've refrained from filling up my calendar and I have purposed to neither overfill my basket with commitments made out of obligation or cultural norms...nor to singularly pursuit something until I feel a Divine nudge in that direction. And as God is consulted and directs, it is then that I would do well to run with abandon. Like a rabbit on Speed.
Comments
Hugs!
Great post!