Lessons from the Rocking Chair

I was 18 and full of plans. I had just moved to Nicaragua to do mission work for a school year before going to college, and I was ready to embark on a crazy, busy, exhilarating journey. So when I found myself sitting in the rocking chair, I guess you can say that I was not happy. Up until that point, my experience with missions had been short-term trips, where there was a team and we were busy running around all the time going from place to place, doing dramas and giving out food. I suppose I had imagined that I would constantly be on the move now that I lived there as well. I was wrong. Now, you must understand, I did have things to do, I taught Bible lessons at a couple schools, helped in a clinic, taught English classes at the church, and many other things, I also took classes to help me learn Spanish. But, it just seemed like there was a lot of waiting. In the morning I would get ready, go to the church, get breakfast from the church's store, hang out with the store clerk for awhile, then go teach the Bible class or go to the clinic. From there, I would go to the rocking chair on the church's porch and sit and wait.

See the way it worked in Nicaragua (at least at that church), was that people would come to meet with the pastor. They could be coming for any number of reasons, they need prayer, advice, they need assistance, or any of the other reasons that people meet with pastors. The difference from how it is here, is that they would just show up (without an appointment) and sit on the porch and wait their turn for the meeting. So at times, there could be 8 or 9 people waiting to meet with the pastor. What did this have to do with me? I was waiting for the pastor too, that was who I worked with the most and so these people were not helping me fulfill my goal of having a crazy, busy, super exciting missionary life.

So there I was, in the rocking chair, sitting, waiting, impatiently might I add, I would get up, walk around, walk to the little store, walk back to my rocking chair, and repeat the whole process, I'm sure there were some loud sighs and huffs, I could not believe that I was having to wait that long! Seriously, did they not know that I had come from the States to help people, I mean I was a valuable asset, these people needed help, and I was here to bring it (please note the sarcasm)!

Finally, one day it hit me, I was there to serve the people of Nicaragua, and they have a different culture than me. The pace there was slower, people were not in a hurry, they enjoyed hanging out and talking, you know actually getting to know people, and they were content to sit and wait. Ouch. It was me that needed to change, if I really wanted to reach people, it would probably be nice for me to learn to appreciate the differences. So, I changed my attitude. From then on, when I would sit in the rocking chair, I would be interested in the people and what was going on in their lives (as opposed to the small talk that I would make before, all the while wishing they would hurry up). I would also take time to pray for them, and see if there was anything that I could do to help them.

The lessons that I learned in that rocking chair are priceless, and they have helped me in every area of my life. I learned to enjoy ordinary life, you know all the little things, the down time, and to just breathe (I do have to remind myself of this lesson every once in a while). I also learned to not take myself so seriously, I can't tell you how many times I messed up while trying to talk in Spanish, or how much I was humbled when I realized that the people I was there to help were actually helping me. I also learned to be content. Honestly, because of my time in the rocking chair, I have learned to not get bored, I rarely do, I know that each moment is a gift and an opportunity. Plus, smart girls don't get bored, right ;-) One last thing that I learned was that wherever I am, I need to be all there. So many times I get distracted by things going on around me, or thoughts of what I need to do later, but when I give 100% to whatever I am doing at the moment, I know that it will be great, it will be done with excellence and I will enjoy the process. Plus, people know when you really do care and want to be there, and when you are just rushing along to get the job done.

That rocking chair will always stand in my mind as a symbol of what I learned that year, honestly, one of the hardest years of my life, but the sweetness that has now lingered from the growth I experienced and the dreams that were planted in my life during that time are worth it.

To this day, I love rocking chairs, when I pass one by I always want to sit in it and just breathe. Life is good, it will all get done, and it just keeps getting better! So find a rocking chair, breathe, and enjoy the moment, be all there and truly experience life!