All in a day's work...

I work in a kid's store. I love every minute of it too. As a woman I can just see myself having little ones running around some day.

Today my main job was greeting in the front of the store. This is usually the job I least enjoy because the time passes slower than if I were working registers. However, today was an exception to my boredom. These are a few things I observed.

Parents are frazzled!!! I cannot even count the number of parents that came in today frustrated by the holiday rush (Christmas is two days away!) and stir-crazy from the Christmas Blizzard of 2006! Many of them only came in the store to let their kids play for ten minutes while they sat down to take a breather. When I started thinking about this I realized just how important it is to take a break from life. Even if this means loitering in a store when you have no intention of buying anything! In the intense pace of life we all need, and deserve, a break.

Kids are imitators. We have this three piece kitchen set (really fancy...really expensive). This toy is nicer than any toy I had growing up. It was a favorite among many of the young ones today. Why? I'll tell you. Kids like to imitate their parents. Boys and girls alike were drawn to this concept (a kitchen with play food and dishes) because they got to show off their domestic skills to mom and dad. Upon seeing this I realized how God watches us imitate things. Whether it be Him or the world. He created us to learn. He created our parents and the people around us to teach us how to act, play, and survive.

Toward the middle of my shift a lady came in with her daughter. The little girl was probably four or five years old. She too was fascinated by the kitchen set. She played joyfully while her mom watched. After about five minutes her mom said, "Don't move! I need to go look at something and I'll be right back. DON'T MOVE!" My initial thought was, "Okay, so her mom sees me standing here as she tells her not to leave the store or wander around. Do I look like her babysitter? Does she think her daughter, being five, is actually going to listen to her?" The mom walked away to shop, and the daughter obeyed. She continued to play with the kitchen set. This was unusual to me. I mean, I get it - the toy is pretty amazing. However, most kids would have jumped at the chance to freak mommy out by running out of the story with some unpaid merchandise. Also, this is a trust issue. The mom trusted the daughter would listen, and the daughter trusted her mom would return shortly. This was the big one for me today. I have been so stuck lately in this rut where I find little happiness in anything I do. I'm not just trying to be negative here. I'm just telling the truth. In the scheme of things I have been a kid running out of the store on a whim, only to be engulfed by a crowded mall full of people (the world) without a plan. I have stepped out of the trust I had for God and his intentions for my life. My heart has been rebellious. Instead of waiting patiently for Him to return and follow through I think, "He has walked away, and it is unlikely he cares enough to come back." so I run. This spoke to me loud and clear. "When God says, "DON'T MOVE!" I better not move." First of all, I need to trust Him again (a lot of effort on my part). Second, I need to be more disciplined and "on-purpose" about the things I do (instead of just going with the flow). Third, I need to not move. I am where I am for a reason (vaguely known by me) and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't God's will for my life. In the words of an amazing friend of mine, "It will either turn out good, or it will turn out good!" Blessings come when you're doing what God wills you to do. The more I try to do things for myself, the more I take away from what God has for my life.

I am learning this lesson the hard way. I am at the bottom of a mountain looking up. There isn't an easy button. I have to go through the rough terrain to find out what is at the top, and on the other side.

These are just a few things. I hope they touched you in some way. Don't Move! Let God move you!