That Moose is Rich.

Actually, I thought the moose at the zoo was a bit on the mangy side. It had a couple of bare patches and a healing sore on its ear. But it was close! The kids were feeding it leaves, it was so close to us. And that was awesome!

It was a beautiful spring day, full of God's wondrous creatures, and finding a moose so close to the fence made it a practically perfect trip to the zoo. The fact that it ate at least one leaf from each of the kiddos was almost unbelievable! But that isn't the best thing... by far.

Let's back up a bit.

We've been waiting for a church call for almost two years now. There have been times of impatience and discouragement, but mostly it's been a very positive and happy waiting-time. Full of blessings.

My husband continues to search for a church to pastor, and we continue to wait, but there's a new feeling of anticipation for us. It just seems like God is working on matching us up with His chosen flock.

And along with this, we've been feeling the drag of  too many things, kind of like shedding a skin that's too tight. There have been many Do we really need this? conversations among us lately. Obviously, we moved it once, about a year ago, thinking we did. But now, many things are feeling superfluous.

So we're talking, and sorting, and pushing at the limits of desiring and keeping. This has been especially difficult for our six-year-old. She has lost many things in her life, and has a strong desire to keep everything.

Seriously, everything.

She would still have her size 2T sleepers if I hadn't bargained over the years, buying bigger clothes and "trading" her for her too-small clothing. She still occasionally bemoans the selling of her daddy's old truck (which we did three years ago!). So you can imagine how the idea of getting rid of things has gone.

We've had lots of conversations about how God will always provide for us (Matthew 6: 25-34). About how she still has plenty of toys/clothing/furniture/etc, even after we've "cleaned out." About how much of what we have is surplus to our needs. About how many children in the world don't even have enough to eat, let alone toys or extras. About how Mom and Dad will always make sure that she is taken care of. About God's great love for us (Bible: Genesis-Revelation).

Okay. So back to the zoo. The kids are feeding leaves to the moose. Except our daughter stops. And looks intently around the moose's habitat. And finally says, "That moose is rich."

Huh?

She says, "That moose is rich."

I say, "What?"

She says, "Look around, Mom. That moose is RICH! Look at all those leaves. Look at all that grass. Look at the trees. That moose is RICH."

I smiled, finally getting it. I gave her a little hug and said, "Yep, Sweetie. That moose IS rich. And so are we." She snuggled in a little and said, "I know."

That moose is rich.

Me, too.

And you?