A Hamlet Along the Path

"A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village....Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village." (Wikipedia)

I love the beauty of the mountains, but sometimes my journey seems much too slow. I'm torn between hiking the breath-taking, twisting paths and actually getting somewhere. I'm trying to be content with meeting a lone hiker now and then on the heights, but I want to plant a flag somewhere. Is my path leading anywhere, or am I merely lost in the scenery?

But wait, I've come upon a hamlet! I've found a little herd of sheep -- 8-year-old Sunday School children to be exact. I've decided to follow my little children up the grades through to graduation. I was going to continue in second-grade, but my heart changed in a moment and - with a few days of prayer - continued strong, steady, and sure (a sign I've learned to recognize as the leading of the Holy Spirit as opposed to my own excitable, thrill-seeking heart). I want to build community with my children. I want to be a friend to them, someone who knows them and who they know loves them. I want to walk life with them for the next 10 years and beyond, God-willing.

My three little children (regular attenders of my 2nd-grade small group) have their birthdays in the summer. I contemplated what I could do for them. I wondered, what would other leaders do? No, I must offer them something of myself. Ah, I know, a tea-party!! Yes, an invitation to tea! We'll dine on my deck decorated with potted flowers and herbs at a glass-top table, illuminated by the morning sun if it's shining or white lights spun around the deck rail if the daylight is muted. They'll enjoy my little wooded pond. They'll see my favorite willow tree that fell last winter and now is a delightful playground for turtles. They'll see the geese and ducks. If the cicadas are no longer singing, maybe a hummingbird will drop by.

Someday, I would like to find a rural setting where I can establish a beautiful home of hospitality with many rooms. Here, people will find a respite from the whirl of life's frenetic pace. They'll slow down, rest, and meditate on the glory of their Creator. Will these people be missionaries on break, a teenage girl who longs to know the love of Jesus, a Christian family needing short-term housing, a mother and daughter on a weekend vacation together? Will I find it along this path I travel with the children?

Perhaps my dream home is only figurative, and loving one person at a time will become the many rooms in the home of my life. So, I make the most of what I have. I say a prayer and trust my offering to Him is as jewels fit for a royal crown.

But, I don't give up the reality of my dream, for one never knows what will be around the next bend....

Next Post in Series: Secrets of the Mountain (2011/7/25)