Glimpses of renewal are bits of the Kingdom of Heaven glimmering here and now. It’s just a matter of paying attention to what’s happening around you, in creation, in and between people.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus uses metaphor and parable to tell us what the Kingdom of heaven looks like.
“The kingdom of heaven is like someone who planted good seed in his field.” – Matthew 13:24
“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in a bushel of wheat flour until the yeast had worked its way through all the dough.” – Matthew 13:33
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that somebody hid in a field, which someone else found and covered up. Full of joy, the finder sold everything and bought that field.” – Matthew 13:44
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.” – Matthew 13:45
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.” – Matthew 20:1
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding party for his son.” – Matthew 22:2
In the past few weeks, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a young girl who cares deeply for her chickens and smiles with her whole self after feeding them by hand.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like grandparents who delight in watching their grandchildren simply exist. It’s mom and dad taking care of each other. It’s dad waking up to start coffee for me.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like children who find friendship across the years and continents. It’s when our friends’ kids become friends with our kids, thinking back to one little girl meeting my little girl for the first time in the hospital 7-1/2 years ago.
The Kingdom of Heaven is being friends for so long and diving into the real stuff of life without needing to wade around in the shallow end. It’s people who are willing to be friends despite a 10+ year age different. It’s taking care of their four little kids, having her cry and pray with me for my own children, and then twelve years later having her oldest daughter ask my girls to be flower girls in her wedding. This is the Kingdom in real life.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like hearing the pastoral work of these wonderful people who now live across the country but who, once upon a time 15 years ago, were middle schoolers in our youth group. The Kingdom of Heaven comes alive when you get to see and hug the fruit of your own ministry.
The Kingdom of Heaven is being with a friend you almost never see, but who makes you feel fully seen and fully loved. Being in the presence of a friend like this one is a foretaste of Glory Divine.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like soul-sisters who make it a priority to meet and share vulnerably every Monday for 5 years, who are finally seeing each other in the flesh, meeting their spouses, and watching their kids play together.
The Kingdom of Heaven is breaking through in our everyday lives, friends, in the form of rising bread and planting seeds. It’s those moments of searching for the precious thing you’ve lost or paying someone more than they could ask or imagine. The Kingdom of Heaven is in conversations, in hearing children’s laughter, and being with friends who need no prologue.
And the Kingdom of Heaven is breaking through when a faraway friend sends scissors for my classroom, or a mom from last year’s classroom orders 120 Crayola markers, or your husband’s second cousin (who has her PhD in geology!) mails you fraction circle pieces to help those kiddos learn math. To these three and the many others who have sent me gifts for my classroom off my Amazon Wishlist…THANK YOU. Your thoughtfulness and generosity have been huge affirmations of my work and presence in the classroom. May the Kingdom break through.
If you want to contribute to the everyday thriving of my 5th grade classroom, here’s my Amazon Wishlist.
