Kinley

I love kiddos. Love mine the most. Next, would have to be my nieces and nephews. As of today, I’ve got 2 of each. On my husband’s side of the family we’ve got our oldest niece, Ronni who just began her second year of college. She is the coolest college kid I know! For real. Much cooler than I was when I was her age. She has two brothers coming up behind her; Dakota, 16 and Layne, 12. I was fortunate enough to visit those boys soon after their births before they ever left the hospital. As you may already know, I grew up watching them grow up. Those three kids were a big part of the reason I knew with such certainty that I wanted to be a mom someday to my own little nuggets.  It just happened to be a bonus that the man I decided to marry was their mom’s brother.  After we had been married for 8 years and completed our own family, my brother Vance and his wife of 3 years gave me another niece; Kinley, 2.  And… later this year in November they will welcome another baby girl!

That little precious sometimes terror of a two year old spent the night over at TT’s house a couple of weeks ago. (TeeTee-that’s me...as in Aun-Tee.)  It’s always a pleasure to have her in our home, but boy-howdy she wears me out! I am a little out of practice with toddlers and the likes of other children who can’t reach the light switches.  I find myself in desperate need of a nap when she leaves, although I’m not sure how that differs from any other day.

Since she was only a few months old she has stayed at our house overnight every now and then. At bedtime, Uncle Jus does the hair brushin’ and TT puts her to bed.  I sometimes rock her, sway and hold her, or just sit and love on her, but I always sing to her.  I’ve always sang songs like You are my Sunshine, This Little Light of Mine, and Jesus Loves Me, but now that she has developed an opinion and can vocalize it she prefers for me to sing BINGO. I’ve never at any point in my life thought of BINGO as a bedtime lullaby, but who can argue with a two year old? So there I go…”There was a farmer had a dog and…”

We sat in my oversized chair in my bedroom that night in the dark.  She lay so nicely with her head on my shoulder and her body draped across mine clutching to “lamby”, her must-have sleep partner. What was perfectly comfortable to me suddenly became uncomfortable to little Kinley. She rolled over, kicked her feet around and flailed her arms trying to find a spot to relax and calm down enough to drift off to sleep. Mind you, all this acrobatic activity is taking place on my chest, belly and lap. What seemed like tens of minutes was more likely two, and she finally settled down and breathed a little deeper. Sounds so sweet and gentle, huh? Um, no. If I weren’t sitting in the dark I might have risked waking her by trying to photo document the scene. She ended up on her back with her ear right next to my ear.  The best way to describe her body position would be the term “spread eagle”.  Her elbow was in my jugular and somehow I still managed to have a “lamby leg” in my mouth. It was one of the most uncomfortable positions to be in, but as mothers and aunties know…you can’t move!

As I sat in the dark being thankful she was there and very thankful she would go home the next day, I had a revelation. ...

Sometimes when we find ourselves most uncomfortable

that’s exactly where we are intended to be.

Years ago I learned that God doesn’t always call us to do things within our comfort zone. In fact, he probably more often calls us to do things we don’t want to do or feel unequipped to do.  I’ve found the joy in answering his call or following his commands can lead you to a place that is almost unbearable with uncertainty and discomfort, but you can stop and know that you are exactly where you are supposed to be…and reap the everlasting benefits from the obedience.

“If you agree and obey, you will eat the best food of the land.”  

Isaiah 1:19

Lacy Matejka