facing your "elmos"

there are so many in my life that seem to be "longing" right now. longing for someone to be healed, longing for a broken heart to be restored, longing for arms to be filled, longing for new hope and new direction, longing for prayers to be answered, longing for homes to be sold, longing to be free of stress, and just longing to be. to be here or there. to be this or be that. including me. though my longing is quite trivial compared to many others, it is still a longing...and a fear. a fear of never selling this home. a fear of never getting the time back we waste on the interstate. a fear of not having my sister close by. a fear of failing as a mother, a wife and a christian.

addison has a fear too. she fears elmo. facing him is often quite traumatic for her. i cannot put him in front of her right away. she must approach elmo herself and warm up to him. it takes time. but don't all longings and fears take time? i think so...but it is the waiting that hurts so much. the waiting brings the anticipation and the anticipation brings the worry and hopefully, by god's grace, the worry brings us to the feet of jesus - where we should have been all along.

it is always sweet to hear addison's laugh after she has faced her elmo. it is the laugh of freedom and of joy. i pray, for each of us, that we would not only face our "elmos" but find freedom and joy in them knowing that our god is good.