Today walking home from work, I had a moment of clarity. As my mind was processing through various things, the chimes from the big old church by 13th & Derry broke into my reverie - and immediately made me smile. What is it about that sound that brings me joy? I decided that it was a sign of God's faithfulness for me - an important reminder that God knows what I need even more than I do, and that there is enough in God's perfect provision.
This was an important reminder because lately I've been thinking a lot about what I need, and particularly my need for people. I get so energized from being with people, have a deep desire for connection, for understanding, to know and be known - all very human things, but I've been trying to figure out what to do with this. I've finally been able to legitimize this to myself - learning to say that yes, it's ok to need people! But I've realized that in validating this to myself, I can't hold onto it too tightly - like anything, I must hold it with open hands, offering it back up to God.
It is God who truly knows what each of us needs better than we can ever know ourselves - and the amazing thing is that one way God chooses to provide for our needs is through one another, the broken and imperfect people that we are. Learning how to take care of eachother is hard, and I think a life-long journey - because it means that even as I am discovering more of what I need, I must also lay that down and seek to put what you need first.
But it works, because as we better understand ourselves and eachother, we can be cared for while caring for others, and it's a beautiful thing - a God thing, because ultimately it is God who cares for us and meets our needs, much more perfectly than we ever could.
