I hear him singing as he enters the house and opens the back door.
He must have had a song in his head that needed to come out because there was no other music except his voice. He sounds like a young man singing in the shower: no concern of being heard… no thought of stopping.
My middle son is home for a short visit. Hearing his bellowing voice from my writing room instantly makes me smile. Frozen, I listen to this relatively shy boy sing in the kitchen — a boy known to be more calculated than spontaneous, serious than carefree.
As silly as it may sound, his presence changes the house; the walls appear brighter, and the windows seem to allow in more light.
When my fingers catch up to my emotions, they quickly put me back to work. There is no time for distractions. That is, until my stubborn heart wrestles with my stubborn mind.
Stop. Go dance with your son before he stops singing. Do it. Now.
I hesitate for just a breath longer before I shoot up from my seat and make my way onto the cold tile. He is still singing, now putting up his car keys.
Thank God I made it in time.
Without a spoken word, I take his hand, and we dance. He doesn’t break stride in the song and sings just as loudly as when he first entered the house.
Sweet Jesus, thank you for this moment.
With each step we take in front of the refrigerator and a sink full of dishes, I soak in life with my son. He is no longer a boy but a young man whom I must lift my head to see.
Instead of me holding his hand to guide him, my son holds me. I feel the slight difference, and it nearly makes me lose my sense of balance.
I twirl, and we both smile, hugging in appreciation for an unspoken journey of love that began long before the dance.
I am so thankful for time well spent and for realizing that sometimes God gives what may appear as distractions when they are instead a continuation of our best path.
May we not get so caught up in our plans that we miss hearing the invitation to receive unexpected blessings along the way.
What is God showing you today? Are you listening? How are you responding?
“Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation” (Psalm 100:1-5).
This column was initially published by CherryRoad Media. ©Tiffany Kaye Chartier.