From Whom All Blessings Flow

Somehow--I'm not entirely certain how--I found myself at a conference last weekend.

Being, as I am, a most uncertain person at the best of times (and I assure you, you do not wish to know me at my worst), the level of confidence that assailed me regarding this conference is surprising. Less surprising, being that I am neither a great optimist nor an adequately convincing pessimist, is that my confidence was placed in what I might expect of the conference; and though none of it was particularly cheerful--well, I managed not to paint the utterest picture of Doom that my mind, when properly stimulated, is perfectly capable of contriving on the most creative of occasions.

Do not misunderstand: there were plenty of things that I was told to expect, among them being: a worship band, loud concerts from which I would willingly make my escape to roam the enormous halls of the conference center (it is amazing how many drinking fountains one can count in the examination of such a building), and - this most appealing of all - a little beach just beyond the hotel window, offering all the rolling and beautiful majesty of the ocean in its waking. Not to mention the warmth of springtide, for whose enjoyment said beach presented itself as a lovely host.

So you see, I was not entirely hopeless. But I did just nearly type that I found the beach 'appalling'. So perhaps I was rather hopeless after all.

***

Ye Goode Olde Realitie Cheque:

So, I was wrong. And I was right--in some things. Worship band, loud concerts, and daring escapes from said concerts, all yes. Warm weather heralding the come of springtide? Eh... not exactly. However, the freezing temperature and wind chill factor encouraged me to explore this mysterious invention known as the Hoodie, and the results were not altogether discouraging.

As for the hotel room, it was quite lovely, though I never got the chance to inspect any of the rooms. This is due to the fact that I happened to arrive last up the stairs, and upon stepping into the suite, immedately learned that the only bed left upon which to stake my claim was: the hideaway bed! (Thus named as an indicator of its very deceptive scheme to masquerade as a couch. Rather devious, but I caught on quickly -- as soon as I was suitably convinced that sleeping on the porch where I could see the ocean better was not among my list of recommended options. This, my friends, is the distinct disadvantage of taking eighteen flights of stairs whilst the others of the party see fit to utilize the hotel elevator...)

But in the end, I wouldn’t trade those two nights of sleeping on a pullout couch with a thin plastic mattress, and the ocean outside the sliding-glass doors singing me to sleep for anything. The conference itself? Meaningful, in ways you may or may not ever hear about. The beach? It was freezing as winter and windy as Nebraska, but without the tumbleweeds and with the lovely addition of people I happen to care about. All in all, my expectations were met in some ways, overturned in others, and exceeded in other ways still...and in the midst of it, God showed Himself good to me, in even the littlest ways.

For all of that, I just may become a convincing Optimist after all.

***

To Wrappe This Uppe (and Make a Timelie Escape from Olde England):

My blog posts are usually different than this. I seem to have rambled on for some time without managing to write anything particularly impactful or profound. (Dare I insinuate that I am profound most of the time? Possibly profounder, at least...) Eh... it appears to be somewhat longer, too. And I dare say that boring does not lag far behind. Yet still I have thought it worth writing; for last weekend, I remembered something important.

I have remembered the goodness of God.
I have remembered the simplicity of love.
 
(...And I have remembered the necessity of ear-plugs when forced to remain within buildings determined to host a series of explosions under the pretense of a concert. But don't mind my irrational paranoia of hearing loss; heed only my thankfulness at having survived nonetheless. )

I'm rather certain that none of this is profound. And yet... it doesn’t have to be. God is good, and that alone is enough to make Him worthy of all the praise, worship, and thanks my little heart is capable of giving. He is Good. And He is God.

 And that, frankly, is all I need have written in the first place. Because I don't suppose anything I could have to say is quite as important as it.

6 missives:

Sparrow said...

...And with the word "Profounder", my credibility goes out the window... >.O

Abigail Hartman said...

"...for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."

God always knows what we need, and sometimes He gives them to us in the most amazing ways. ^.^

And now, on a slightly unrelated note... Where did you get your GORGEOUS template for your blog? It's lovely! I absolutely adore it! It's so soft and pastel...

Sparrow said...

This background is from www.scrapmyblog.com. This one's "Ripples", but there are other lovelies on there. I've been trying to figure out how to download Wordpress themes, and... it's not working. >.< My computer comprehension skills end at the definition of the "Ctrl" key. (I could never figure out whether it was "Central" or "Control"...)

But I rather fancy the pastelness myself, so I'm content to keep this for a while, until someone more computer-wise (hint, hint) offers me help. Besides, it matches my sunrise photo, unless I'm color-blind, which I may be, so feel free to tell me if in actuality it clashes most terribly...

"God always knows what we need, and sometimes He gives them to us in the most amazing ways."... Don't get ahead of me, I'm posting more about THAT in the nearishly-near future. >.O

Abigail Hartman said...

Oh, sowwy. I will put myself in reverse and not get ahead of you...

Your blog is LOVELY. It's the prettiest I've seen on here. Admittedly, I haven't seen many, but... Your header also inspired me; I have a few sunrise-over-the-ocean pictures on my computer, and I made a header for myself using one of them. Unfortunately, with my current template it doesn't look nice. >.>

Lilly said...

You have an awesome blog!! And Even awesome(er) posts, (I know, that's not proper english..) Your posts are always so awesome because... I dunno, they seem come from Noskvish's seeming child-like heart. (if you don't mind me saying that.) The posts are words of thanks, or maybe even concepts so simple they're astounding... What I'm trying to say maybe is that thank you for reminding me. For reminding me of My father's love and how we should have thankfulness in our hearts. Gets me in right mindset again. I miss you on TLC.

Anonymous said...

This post was a joy to read. I would have to differ with you though. I found this post very profound. So often, it is those surprises that God has planned for us that turn out to be the most profound moments of all: His peace, His love, and our worship of Him in the simple moments of our seemingly everyday lives. We count our blessings and find that they are more than enough.