The Cahill's

I was sitting inside trying to type up a speech but not getting very far – the weather was distracting me. Sunlight pouring in the windows, blue sky peeping around fluffy white clouds, all of nature beckoning me to come and rejoice in the day that the Lord had made. After all it was January and 75 degrees outside, (I love the Texas winter ) I couldn’t waste such good weather so I asked my little brother if he wanted to do anything outside so I would have an excuse to stop typing.

What an eye-opener of an afternoon. I found out just how much I usually followed my own way in direct opposition to what someone has said – thinking I know better. Timothy took me out to help him clear some trails on the paintball course he and my other brothers were working on. Having just been thinking about a woman’s role I thought I would just stand back and let him be the boss. (being 10 years old and the youngest boy, he normally is the one ordered around) So I asked him want he wanted me to work on and he gave me a trail to clear. Several times as we cleared that and a little clearing he would make a suggestion which would go against my line of thought and had it been any other time I would have disregarded him and done it my way. But each time I followed his lead, and each time after I had struggled inside myself and relinquished my “superior knowledge” he would add something to his instructions and I would see that if I had followed my ideas it would have been counter productive.

It was wonderful to see his confidence swell as he took on his role. I am always telling them to act the man, but I needed to step back and let them. Thank you Lord for showing me my place, thank you for opening my eyes to my rebellion and pride, and thank you for your grace that will teach me to submit.

Here I sit, trying to decide what to type about. Many things happen, and just as many things don’t; it all depends on which roads and paths I choose each day. This choice with the earrings has caused my dad and several of my friends to give a word of caution to me, that I don’t try and be someone who I’m not. The day after I got them pierced, dad asked me if this meant I wouldn’t go hang sheetrock for him any more, and I told him “of course I still would.” (After all, my job is to be a helpmeet to my father) Then another friend told me not to change and that she liked me just the way I was – that night I played soccer to my utmost. Then again this morning dad asked me if he was doing a bad thing by letting me try out the jack hammer at work the other day and by having us do such rough work there. Such a little thing, but it has effected my reputation – just like I thought it would. Oh well, I gave it to God, right?

But you know, I think that having so many interests, skills and exposure makes for a more interesting and flexible personality. This morning when dad made his comment about the jack hammer I was all dressed up nice, my air was curled and it looked like I had never touched dirt in my life, – my dad said that I looked so nice he was going to have to escort me to church   - no one would have guessed that just the morning before I had turned out more pushups than I care to state.

   God has brought so many different things together to make me who I am; tanning hides and cooking; delivering baby goats and caring for little children; running barefoot through the pastures and walking down the stairs with feminine grace; handling a skill saw and drill and learning what all those different forks are used for at a formal dinner. I think it’s good that I have done “nice” things and “rough” things –  God has done all this in preparation for I know not what. It gives me a sort of contentment and freedom from anxiety, I could be at home with a farmer or pastor, I could function in a city ministry or a third world country. I can look forward to whatever God has in store for me knowing that each step in His way has prepared me unto that end. Praise God that “who I am” is in Christ and not in what I do or don’t do.

This post is about my brothers and what a wonderful blessing they are. I love “my guys” and thank God for them. I would like to turn the spotlight on a few recent happenings that really drove home God’s working through them. I’ll start with my older brother, Michael.

One night at soccer some young man tried slipping his arm around my shoulders, I was too slow to see it coming and because it was done in the context of a joke, I didn’t quite realize what had happened until too late. Fortunately my older brother was standing right there and I quickly took refuge behind him to hide my confusion and uncertainty on how to react. Ever since then my brother has been very protective, coming up when I talk to any of the guys at soccer and asking what I was talking about. I think his new role as a dad has really turned something on inside of him.

Christmas day, I had a wonderful time playing with my three younger brothers on our trampoline. The weather was beautiful and we played a crazy sort of hockey with two foot long plastic hockey sticks the boys got for Christmas. To watch them haggle out the rules and decide who had to get the ball each time it was hit off of the trampoline, was entertainment in itself. I was just happy to spend the time with them and see their personalities all over again.

We got a new computer game for Christmas and it’s the kind where you go through it and solve the bigger mystery by working at smaller puzzles until they all come together as a whole. We three sisters were going to split up with the three boys to play in teams and I expected us to split in the usual way, putting David and I together. Instead he teamed with Stacie and I was partnered with Timothy, the youngest. I think God knew just what I needed, I didn’t know Tim as well as my other brothers and getting to work with him and talk with him has been a special experience. He thinks on a whole different track than the rest of our family and I’ve lost patience with him several times but God is working on me as well as him. Through our conversations I’ve been able to get an honest glimpse of the workings inside an 11 year old boy. I tell you, faith does run deep and true in the heart of a child. Praise God.