LISTEN. DO. BE BLESSED.

So, sometime around 1a.m. CST last Saturday, Mike hit the door from a business trip that started the previous Sunday.

His itinerary had him originally scheduled to head straight for Pennsylvania, but a little twit named "Irene" derailed his plans;  instead he started in Raleigh, NC and then made the pre-sun-up trek to NYC last Wednesday.

You've gotta love trying to implement a two-day, business-interrupting conversion in the middle of a friggin' hurricane.

But, I digress on the original reason for this post:  survival in the midst of single-parenting.

Let me just start by saying that there is nothing remotely glamorous about being the only parent in the house.  NOTHING.  NADA.  ZILCH.  And, the thought that some people do this ad nauseum makes me want to buy them a margarita machine with a huge tab for extra mix, in an assortment of nummy flavors.

Truly, there is a really good reason God set up the whole parenting thing with two people.

You can play good cop/bad cop with two.  With one?  You get the handcuffs AND the get out of jail privileges.

With two parents, you have someone to defend your choice of dinner.  When your kids say "Spaghetti?  Again?" like you've just offered maggots on a spoon with a tall, cold glass of milk, your love can gently remind them that there are starving kids somewhere in the world who would kill for your spaghetti.  And then be the first to dig in and say "YUMMY!  Thanks, honey!"

With two parents, you get more of the story.  What begins as "Nothing." in response to "What did you do in school today?", sometimes ends in an exhaustive explanation of how to grammatically label a sentence after the other parent asks.

Do you get my drift?  One person can't possibly do all this.  It takes two.  And, sometimes, the neighbors thrown in, for good measure.

I realize how blessed I am to know that my single parenting can be counted in the number days until the business trip ends.  For many, this experience is counted in years.  And, with limited experience as my guide, I have a great deal of empathy for those who do this, day in and day out, without any chance of a break. 

God asked us to take care of those in need.  And, while I realize that many people land squarely in single parenthood through choices of their own, the effect is still the same:  they are without a spouse and their children are affected as a result.  Whether they be rich or poor or somewhere in between, they are still struggling in some aspect of life.

I'm not sure why I had this single-parent epiphany at this late time, because, Heaven knows, Mike has had his share of business trips throughout the years.  But I do know it was a welcome wake-up call to pay attention to those around me who are doing the hardest job in the world without a partner.

How about you?  Are there some around you who are tackling life with kids on their own?  What do you feel compelled to do?  Or do you feel compelled at all?

There isn't a right answer here, just a step on the path that comprises the journey of your life.  As with so many things that Christ will teach each of us in our lives, what seems relevant to one today may have become relevant to another yesterday and will become relevant to yet another tomorrow.  After all, if we all felt moved to help a single cause at the same time, other causes would suffer.

And, that right there, is the amazing gift God gave each of us:  to listen for His voice, be moved by what he calls us to do, and to go do it.  Regardless of the call of those around us.

Today, I heard the word, so now I must go do.  I certainly don't know what God is whispering to you and I am not even sure what my own call will look like, but I'm encouraged by what James 1:22-25 has to say:

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do."