Scrabble Victory

My husband is away on a backpacking trip in Big Bend with my dad and oldest brother, which means it's a little quieter around the apartment. Couple that with a windy, chilly day, and it's a bit more tempting to pull up Netflix on my laptop, curl up on the couch under a cozy blanket and indulge in watching those Chuck episodes I was thinking about. However, my desire to be more creative with my time won over, and after I finished all the usual household chores and after-christmas boxing, I decided to have my mom over for dinner and a game of scrabble.

Something strange happened; I won. Winning scrabble against anyone on my mom's side of the family is an incredible victory. They've been playing it for decades, and there are rumors that my grandma reads the Scrabble dictionary after she reads her Bible.

Needless to say, I was thrilled about winning, but the evening also got me thinking. If I had sat watching TV last night, I would have enjoyed myself, but I would have missed out on that memory with my mom. Our evening had been interrupted periodically by taking care of my three-month-old daughter, and we took turns holding her and making her laugh during the game. It's precious for me to watch her be held by her grandparents and great-grandparents. For the first six years of our marriage, my husband and I lived far away from our families, and when we found out I was expecting, we decided to move back so our daughter could know her grandparents. So I cherish the time that she has with each of them, but I realized that I often have chosen TV over opportunities of genuine life moments and experiences.

After my mom left, and my daughter was fast asleep, I was left wondering what to do with my time before I went to bed. This Christmas my husband and I decided to do the four gifts: something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read. For my "something to read,"he gave me a book called A Praying Life, by Paul Miller. I started it a few days ago and decided to read another chapter last night. The book is delightfully easy to read, and so far it hasn't left me feeling discouraged or lacking, only that many others struggle with the same thing I struggle with, and that there's hope for us! Something that stood out to me in the chapter I read last night was, "Learning to pray doesn't offer you a less busy life; it offers you a less busy heart" (p. 25). I suppose it stood out to me because that's one thing I'm expecting from not watching TV-- to not be filling every second of my life with a distraction, and maybe that will lend way to more genuine and effective prayer.

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing. in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.                        1 Thessalonians 5:16-18