Rejoicing in routine

"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving." - Colossians 4:2

Happy New Year! 

Today is the first Monday of 2016, which always feels like the first real day of the year. Husband returned to work. Kiddo goes back to school tomorrow, and I am praying for a sense of routine and normal.

A few months ago, my friend Katie posted this piece she called "The Thrill of the Dull and Mundane Life." I think she expected the title to be paradoxical, but to me it sounded an elusive dream. 

"On one of my hardest mornings," she wrote. "I waved goodbye to Andrew from the porch and, seeing a plane soar overhead, I cried because I wished so painfully that I were on it."

As I read that paragraph, I cried because I so wanted her normal routine of home and kids and school and church. 

For about six months, we have lived in a state of semi-controlled chaos. From learning of our new assignment, to moving to figuring out what it means to live abroad, nothing has been normal. Being in Europe is great, but despite my Facebook posts, it's not all travel and adventure. We have to LIVE here.

Everything -- from banking to grocery shopping to taking out the garbage - requires a language/cultural interpretation. Everything takes longer than I think it should. Those little things add up, so something as simple as looking at a cook book is likely to lead to frustration when I realize I can't get cheddar cheese or cream of chicken soup for a casserole.

A recent near-catastrophe at the bank reminded me of the power of gratitude. Once it was resolved, and I realized I had not in fact lost $1300, I went to the Christmas program at the Kindergarten. The kids sang, and we ate cookies, and I felt a renewed sense of thanksgiving. All of the other frustrations of the day melted away.

Paul wrote the above passage while he was in prison. He must have been frustrated and scared, but this chapter doesn't show it. Instead he speaks with confidence and thanksgiving that his ministry will continue. In thanksgiving, he keeps perspective on the mission.

I still pray for some sense of normal, and I'm hopeful that the new year will bring more routine. But my resolution is to live with more gratitude, and in this Year of Mercy, to pray for God's mercy. 

No matter where 2016 takes us, a spirit of thanksgiving means we will always feel God's blessings.