I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
Yesterday, while I was at work, I got a call from the school nurse. I expected to hear that Mason was in her office complaining of a headache. He's typically the one that visits the nurse hoping to get out of school. Well, much to my surprise, she said it was Hunter in her office with a temperature of 102. I started making calls to find someone who could pick him up, because I didn't want to leave work. This is my last week of working full-time since I start back to school on Tuesday, and I've been enjoying those full-time paychecks. :-)
Well, no one was available. Both grandmas were tied up for the day. Uncle Chad was an hour away picking up materials for a job. I knew pregnant Aunt Sunni didn't need a sick kid around. And Daddy was at work, of course.
It suddenly hit me that there might be a Master Plan behind the timing of Hunter's sickness. My life is so crazy right now with work, school, homework, kids, church, friends, family...WHEW! Sometimes, I think my kids feel lost in the shuffle that I call my LIFE. It crossed my mind that maybe Hunter just really needed me. Maybe he needed to know I wouldn't let him down when it came to the important stuff.
When I got to the school, Hunter was headed down the hallway toward the bathroom. When he returned to the office, he looked pathetic. Poor guy was burning up and had the saddest eyes I've seen in a long time. As we got in the car, he said, "When I left to go to the bathroom, I was thinking 'Maybe Mom will be here when I get back.'"
The nurse had asked him if he lived with his mom and dad, but he had to tell her we were divorced. (Hunter usually calls it "the D-Word", so I was surprised he even said the word out loud.) He had to tell her that both his mom and dad were working, and as he told me all of this in the car, I teared up. It broke my heart. I realized he had no idea who would be coming to get him.
So...my crazy notion that maybe God had a plan in this wasn't silly after all. Over the next few minutes, I was able to chat with Hunter about lots of stuff...divorce, our busy life, and the fact that I would always be there when he needed me.
I read through the first several chapters of Ecclesiastes this morning and it just hit me that I spend most of my time chasing after the wind. I work as many hours as I can and feel guilty if I ever take off. I put in too many hours on school work so my grades don't fall below a 90. I'm so concerned with securing that perfect job when I finish school that I put in extra hours at clubs and meetings. I run here and there trying to entertain myself. I do everything I can to make sure I never disappoint anyone. I'm so proud of myself when I accomplish everything on my list. But what good is it? According to God's Word, it's all meaningless.
God forced me to take a break yesterday and recognize the things in my life that do have meaning. My paycheck may be a little less this week, but the special time I had with Hunter was priceless.
Lord, help me to stop chasing the wind....
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