Why We Love This Author

Michele emailed me this morning - I thought it would serve perfectly as the Devotional for the Week. Gotta love this woman - I so relate!


Blubbering - Susan May Warren

“Mom, will you look at my essay, please?”
I was loading clothes into the dryer. “Yeah,” I mumbled. I glanced at the clean load of laundry that needed to be folded I’d just emptied from the dryer, glared at it, and shuffled into the computer room to eye my daughter’s essay.

It was entitled, “My favorite lines from books.” And right there, at the top, was a line from Everything's Coming Up Josey. My book. Which she’d read.
I burst into tears.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?” My 14 year old jumped to her feet to put her arms around me (she’s taller than me, now).
“I’m just tired,” I hiccoughed, but that wasn’t it. In fact, I was deeply touched – and feeling horribly guilty that she’d used my book as an example after I’d just harped at her over her dirty laundry, and snapped at my son over the place-setting of dishes I’d found rotting in his room, and barked at my fourth grader to finish his homework.

But, really, I was just feeling overwhelmed, with dishes overflowing my sink, unanswered emails packing my in-basket, a new year of home-school, a book to rewrite, and a sinus infection that made my head feel like it might explode. And all just in time for me to leave town for an event this weekend.

So, being a mature woman, able to control my emotions, I sat down and lost it.
Wanna freak out your kids? Become a blubbery mess before their eyes.
But here’s the cool part – Wanna see what your kids are capable of? Become a blubbery mess before their eyes.

My daughter sent me to my room (There’s a first. I know she loved that). Then, for the next two hours she washed the dishes, made supper and cleaned the kitchen. Then she and her brothers finished their homework and played without fighting until bedtime.

I should break into tears every day, about 4pm.

I know I’m blessed – I have a fabulous family, and a career I love. And every day I’m overwhelmed at the letters I receive, the friends God gives me, the stories He lets me write, the way He shows me his grace and peace, even when I'm tired, and have a sinus infection and the laundry overflows.

One of my favorite verses is Zep 3:17: "He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Oh, how I love to think of the God of Heaven singing over me (no matter how difficult that may be to grasp.). Imagine it! Can you hear Him?

This world so often drowns out the singing of the Lord. I pray that today, this weekend, this beautiful fall season you hear the Lord singing over you, despite your head cold, and the laundry, and even the moments when you break out into blubbering.