The Great Gatsby

​You know how they say when a woman states she is getting ready for bed, she must first tidy up everything in sight on her way? Well after a long day, this evening I did just that, and then experienced some magic.

Real life is full of dirty dishes and long lines. Babies offer us hugs and laughter, so we tolerate most of Real Life, but the moments of magic can get lost in the scuffle and shuffle of missing socks and dollars spent on gas and groceries. This particular evening as I unloaded a box of stuff from the car, the whispering wind sang a little tune, begging me to look up. Sighing, and with a creaking groan, I lifted my chin to watch the mashed potato clouds puff overhead. Flying by in the shapes of a skeletal seahorse and a fat, lazy elephant, they seemed so close I could reach up and touch them. Somewhere children shrieked in laughter; in the far distance beyond the treetops, cars stirred along the highway, busy on their way to somewhere important. A few bright lights shimmered at me, reminding me that we are all soaring through the universe, somehow anchored to this irreconcilably large earth. God sees us, knows us, knows all, and yet stays near. I can’t fathom it.

And this evening I checked the mailbox, one white envelope resting inside. A letter, from my Jamberry upline. What a treat! For one, receiving any personal mail is a delight, and for two, Jamberry anything really is a slice of cheesecake.

I’ve been thinking about what is to happen this next week. I’ve been planning for months, if not years for what is to come this week. As the days have drawn closer, thoughts of giving up, giving in, failing, digging a hole and jumping inside, or running away have all seemed like super valid options. And to make sure that even if I fall short on my own account, I will at least have pretty nails doing it, I’ve been planning what Jamberry nail wraps to wear with my outfits for this week.

​To make a longer story a bit shorter, I kept randomly thinking throughout these last weeks that I’d like to match a set called Gatsby, a classy white and gold design, to what I had picked out, which was a sparkle butterfly design. But I didn’t have Gatsby! Why was the thought even coming to mind!? But repeatedly, several times in the last two weeks, I’ve thought, “Gatsby would be such a professional, pretty design to wear.” But I didn’t have it and I didn’t have the money to order it, or even the time, as the mail runs slower than my mommy brain. So I settled on some other plans that I would wear.
 
And as I walked inside, putting down my box, I eagerly tore into the envelope.
In that envelope, one sheet of Gatsby lay waiting. The great Gatsby. (I’m going to a writer’s conference, y’all.)
 
Magic can happen. “Therefore I will praise you, Lord… He shows unfailing love” (Psalm 18:49-50). In the tender breeze stirring the clouds above, along the gentle hum of the earth turning around its mute journey, God carries even the greatest of fears and hopes along with our petty interests. He allows us to see the stars twinkle. He sends a shooting star at just the right time. Whether you are the shooting star, the shoes anchored to the earth, the great Gatsby, or the trembling hands, He sees it all. He cares about it. Even more, He cares about you. He wants you to succeed, to use your gifts for good, and to keep forging ahead. Even when the slippery road would have you stay within the lines, find the dry ground that is your path, and advance. “With my God, I can scale a wall” (Psalm 18:29). He knows the lies you’ve heard, understands your weak thoughts, sees the timidity and the tears, and he sends a gentle reminder that, indeed, you can scale a wall. And you can do so with fabulous nails.