These Lines on the Road

"Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men" Colossians 3:23

Sometimes I sit at the computer and there is so much to say that I can barely think straight. This is one of those times. Aside from the crazy amount of activity going on in our lives right now, I’m especially distracted at this moment because I’m sitting shotgun in the Santa Fe as Clay drives us down I-35 to San Antonio. If you’ve ever been on this stretch of I-35, you know what a labor of love this blog entry is. I’d rather have my eyes shut, but where’s the story in that? Nope, I’ve got the laptop open, looking up occasionally for a moment of brief panic and to shout at crazy drivers. They can’t hear me, but it makes me feel better.

Anyway, back to the part about lots to say. Here are the highlights:

*Thursday, Clay went with a friend up to Dallas to get frozen. It’s a “he knows a guy who knows a guy” thing, but the short of the story is that he got into a cryotank filled with liquid nitrogen for 2 minutes at -270 F. Yes, it’s craziness, but not just craziness. There’s PHYSICAL BENEFIT to the madness; he came out of the tank feeling great. This story has no relevance to the rest of the blog. I just wanted to tell you because I think probably none of you have ever withstood -270 before. I'm just sayin'.

*Clay is running in his first ever marathon tomorrow. I am not. But I will be there, and I might even make a sign or something. I think it would be fun to stand somewhere around mile 16 with a banner that says “You’re doing GREAT. I’m going to go get a pedi and maybe take a quick nap. Love you!” I don't care if people look at me funny.

* We’ll get back to Midlo tomorrow night and then Monday morning I head off to Nashville for a conference. My friend Kim is going with me…this fact ensures another blog sometime next week, because when Kim and I are together, we think most everything is funny. Come to think of it, when we’re together, most everything IS, actually, funny.

*Getting back from Nashville Wednesday night and then the next few days will be filled with basketball games and an evening trip to FBC Lewisville for a women’s holiday event.

See? I’m having my own kind of marathon. It’s a crazy time of year…Brandon is on the varsity basketball team and Abby is playing for her middle school. Clay is in the project stage of his doctoral work; I am doing my thing. Add the holidays and all this other stuff, and The Hopkins will be waving at each other on the way in and out the door each morning and night for the next few months.

Thinking about all this, I decided to pop in one of my favorite all time CD's just now, "40 Acres" by Caedmon’s Call. We’re in the car for 4 hours, after all, and it’s as much an opportunity for reflection as it is for anxiety and road rage. Track 4 is "Faith My Eyes", and the chorus goes like this:

Keep 'em coming, these lines on the road
And keep me responsible, be it a light or heavy load
Keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise
And I’ll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes

I like that. I like it a lot. Sometimes life is just busy. It can be overwhelming if you’re thinking about all the stuff Siri is waiting to remind you to do. You might feel sad because your schedule is causing you to miss the next 6 basketball games between your two kids. On the other hand, when you go to a game, you might be sitting there thinking about all the stuff you need to be doing instead of getting bleacher booty. Those examples are purely hypothetical, of course. Regardless, that's when Colossians 3:23 reminds me to change my attitude. My friend DARLA BAERG puts it this way: you don't have to, you GET to. It doesn't matter if you're riding shotgun down I-35, cheering on your husband at a marathon, flying on a plane with a friend, sitting in a conference for 3 days or in the bleachers at a basketball game. Whatever you do, whether it's a light or a heavy load, give it your enthusiastic best. Walk with grace and faith, because it's not your schedule you're serving, it's your Lord...and He'll be standing at the finish line when you get there.