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An Alternative to Crying, from an Expert

I wandered down the cereal aisle, because my boy wanted more Lucky Charms, and I’m the mom who buys the processed cereal. But I do always pack a piece of fresh fruit in his lunch, so there’s that.

As I put the cereal into the cart, I thought about how that girl of mine would be home from college in six hours and I would need to feed her again.

For three more weeks I would feed her, and then that man who gave her the ring in December would have to do it.

Crying a lot these days? You may have another option. -christyfitzwater.com

With that realization my heart cinched tight, and I tried to decide whether to have a good meltdown in front of the raw chicken or to hold it together until I got to the car. One tear dripped. Two tears.

Then I kid not –right that very second, over the store speakers, came The Wedding Song, by Peter, Paul and Mary.

And I almost, oh I came so close to blubbering like a complete fool in front of the cans of biscuits and cartons of eggs. My baby girl getting married! Except I thought about my good friend jokingly offering, on the way out of church last Saturday, to sing that outdated song for her ceremony. He sang the first line, He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts… and we groaned, Please, no. This followed by a good laugh.

So, instead of bawling as I cruised in front of the butter that was on sale, I laughed.

Ravi Zacharias says there’s this one thing we don’t see in Jesus’ life –mirth. We don’t see Jesus laughing and joking. Ravi says God’s mirth is a treasure for his worshipers to discover, and I think that’s what I did as I skirted the outside of the grocery store where they say the healthy people shop. (Lucky Charms? Right in the middle of the store at eye level, but oh well.)

I’ve given God credit for a lot of things –money provision in the perfect hour, a beautiful sunset, a healthy baby fresh out of the womb –and I’m going to give God credit for playing that wedding song for me to make me smile.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  (Psalm 139:16 NIV)

I was being born in 1969, the same year The Wedding Song was being written. And the Eternal God was stretching out way ahead to put a song on the radio for my 45th year when he knew I would be grieving.

In the grocery store.

And so the Sovereign Lord worked a fun little surprise over the radio, for the sake of my heart. I imagine he knew I was tuckered out from sadness and crying.

Hmmm. I wonder what God was planning the year you were born?

2 Comments

  1. Thanks Christy, once again I almost joined you crying and then had to laugh hysterically. It amazes me how God knows and cares so intimately about us. I was born in 1959, hmmmmm to think that He planned me to immigrate to the States from south Africa and to top it off a small town, my husband also came from a small town in Africa, and God puts us in one of the biggest cities in the world? I have to laugh at that one. Oh New York, why? He knows and in that I rest my case.

    1. Sometimes it’s good to look back and just enjoy how God has orchestrated our lives. I can’t imagine the shock of moving from Africa to New York! I’ll take my small-town Montana, thank you. 🙂

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