19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
(Rom 8:19-23)
I have felt this groaning in my early 30s. 32 came upon me a month ago, and I realized that I needed to renew my efforts towards healthy living, lest age catch up to me.
My mom was the mother of 2 children when she was my age. Like me, she had 2 master's degrees, but she had also emigrated to a foreign country and was married.
Life is not what I had imagined--living by myself, far away from family and community. I have a great job, but there are some things money can't buy.
But I am grateful. Today was the last day of an extended weekend, thanks to President's Days. My roommate and I drove 2 hours west to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA. We both really enjoyed 2 hours of looking at his artwork, and then we grabbed lunch at Main Street Cafe. It was a beautiful day--amazingly warm for February--with a (mostly--things change quickly in New England!) blue sky and miles of woods bare from winter.
We left our apartment at 8:30 and got home at 4:30. Though we live together, it was our first "full-time day" together.
I took a nap, and at 6:30, I went to a Strengthen and Stretch class at the YMCA. It kicked my butt =)
When I got home, I checked the mail. There was an admissions packet from Claremont School of Theology, offering me an invitation/opportunity to begin a Ph.D in Spiritually Integrative Psychotherapy this fall!
There is so much to process and think about and eventually plan. But right now, I feel grateful and humbled and excited to embark on whatever comes next in this journey of life.
Yes, we are still awaiting redemption, but moments like this give foretastes of the fulfillment of hope.
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