CALLING FORTH LIFE by Sheila Webster

Spring and the Easter season bring forth newness not just new life or foliage but hope.

My 13 year old and I watched a perspective on the death of Christ and disciples lives following not just biblical narratives but historical.

Creative license was taken in spots. I was both amused and amazed at what my son picked out as accurate and not the way the narrative reads.  His comprehension of the facts exceeded his usual demeanour exponentially thus my surprise!

We took time to look up different historical figures and facts and discussed their believability and use to progress the story. My son and I ended up with a new respect for each other’s knowledge and a renewed relationship with each other.

My son is one of the ones who is always challenging me before a word is said and who rarely feels he should participate in chores. However, he is also the one who is always thinking and discussing the nature of good and evil in ourselves and those around us with me.

People are people - they are a mix of light and dark, goodness and less than, faithful and fearful. The word hypocrite rarely enters my vocabulary because it is something to be used for only those who show no mercy to others, or perhaps even forget to be merciful to themselves.

In my son’s and my relationship so far, newness comes every couple of days when we decide to put to death our differences, our arguments and complaints about each other. I make him breakfast and he grumbles but gobbles the homemade goodness down wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and I sigh. 

If I make him Eggs Benedict, with homemade sauce, real butter and lemon then I will hear a heartfelt thank you. My faith in his manners renewed. I have called forth new life in our relationship because I made the effort to engage him in a way he could understand.

I am thankful we both enjoy spring and the outdoors, and I am thankful for his continual reminder that I have to work on gratitude with my Father and that my Father is patient even when I wipe my spirituality with something less than the spiritual napkins of righteousness.

We are all called to new life everyday by our Father.  No matter our manners, season of life or differences at times.

Habakkuk 3:

22b His mercies never come to an end;

23  they are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

Bio -

Sheila has been writing since before she could talk. Her first award was several decades ago for a fiction story. Since then she has published and won awards across several genres, poetry, non-fiction, historical, and fiction. She is a long time Inscribe member, and loves helping other writers develop their style and achieve their works.