It really feels good to be the center of my husband’s attention. I was away for sometimes (traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) and I’m now here in Maryland.

Even if my Berhan doesn’t have a problem of “workaholism,” his work sometimes follows him home and I don’t like it. He comes home with his headphones on his ears and he whispers to me things like, “I’m in a meeting” or “Just give me few minutes.” And when that happens, it is hard for me to get his attention I so much crave to get.

But this last Saturday, the day I came back from Addis, my Berhan forgot his laptop and phone and at the end of the day, he remembered them all! By that time, it was too late for him to be online and attend all those issues which needed his immediate attention. How did he forget them? Reason? Me!

You don’t know how happy I was. I’m sure I’m not the only wife who craves her husband’s attention. I enjoy being at the center of his attention. Last Saturday, after he picked me up from the airport, he said, “I want to hear in detail about everything.” Oh, you have no idea how I love to hear that because I enjoy telling him everything IN DETAIL! And he was listening to me as if he had never heard me speak before. I felt like I was Miss Universe.

So on Tuesday, a desire to keep my husband’s undivided attention the same kicked in and I sat down and began thinking. I said, “Okay, that means to get my husband’s undivided attention 24/7, I have to go back to Addis for another two weeks or so and come back.” LOL! I seriously thought like that.

Then I remember the story I read on Matthew chapter 17. After Peter hung out with Jesus for quite sometimes, he came to the point where he witnessed the transfiguration right before his eyes. He saw the glory of Jesus, and even heard the Father speak to that effect.

Then Peter (who I find myself so much related to) said, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Matthew 17:4

If it was not for Jesus, Peter would have “hijacked” our salvation with a shelter!

After he experienced that moment, Peter didn’t want to go to his normal life. I mean, who would?

But one thing Peter didn’t realize was: He couldn’t know God on the moment of hype; but in the mundane of life; a life which is full of ups and downs.

After he witnessed the transfiguration, Peter was not spiritually matured. He was as immature as he could ever be coming down from that mountain than going up there.

Why? No one can know and experience the love, grace and mercy of God in the moment of “hype” but in the mundane of life.

Imagine; just last Saturday I came from Addis Ababa, from the area where the bright and beautiful sun was shining everybody’s mood. Now, here in Maryland, forget about the weather; it is rainy outside, no sun at all! That means no need to talk about the weather of my mood!

But regardless of the weather and the mood change I had, on Monday morning, I got up early in the morning and cooked breakfast and went to do grocery to get milk and other stuff. My kids had a two hour delay because of the freezing rain. So, I just dropped them off to school late. There was some school fees my loving husband and kids couldn’t manage to remember to pay. So, I paid that on my way back. There were also overdue library books I needed to return. So, I dropped those books off to the library.

At 11am, I was already in need of the hands of God to carry me through the day because my mood was “icy” as the outside road. Sure, I had spent time with God first thing in the morning but that was not good enough. I needed to seek my God’s face again and again so that I would make it through the day.

On that same morning, there were things which needed my immediate attention and decision so that the days ahead of me wouldn’t be overwhelming with the back-to-back projects. So, I sat down and tried to sort things out.

The next day, on Tuesday, the same thing, I have to do all those things, in small variation, all over again, as if I didn’t do anything on Monday.

This is what is called the mundane of life. It is through all these repetitive, challenging, sometimes boring mundane of life that I get to learn, grasp and appreciate the love, mercy and grace of God in my life.

“The Beatitudes” such as being poor in spirit, being hungry and thirsty for righteousness and more (Matthew 5) are not found in the hypes of the moment but in the mundane of life.

And to tell you the truth, I love to get my husband’s attention in the middle of those “business as usual” days than on the day I come back from a long travel. Why? Because his “hard to come by” attention tells me that I am his true love; that he cares about me. I treasure those moments more than anything else. When he has lots of projects on his plate and emails and texts he has to attend, he sometimes puts them all off and says, “Let’s go out and have lunch alone.” Oh, how I treasure those moments!

Yes, this world, the devil and our flesh make us all run after every exciting experience. They deceive us all in thinking that life has to always be exciting for us to be happy and be loved by others. But the truth of the matter is, the more we want to create those “hoopla”  moments in our life (like me going back to Addis so that I would be at the center of my husband’s attention), the less we get fulfilled and content in life as we forfeit our God-given opportunity to develop true love and care for one another. And above all, we miss the chance for us to grow in God’s Word and to know and trust Him, and how to fight and win the war the devil throws our way.

So, if you feel like there is no change in your life, if you feel like you have to get up every morning to collect the most boring “manna” from the ground for you and yours to eat, (Exodus 16), at a freezing temperature, take comfort in knowing that it is through those “repetitive and dull” life situations that you and I come to know Christ and become spiritually matured, lacking in nothing (James 1:4).

Craving for “that meat” (hype moment) when God doesn’t ordain it may cost us our spiritual valor and boldness we have in Christ as the meat brings a “wasting disease” to our spiritual health (Numbers 11; Exodus 16; Psalm 106:13-15).

If meat (“the exciting moment”) is something needed to season our life, God will provide it at the right time and place because He, not us, is the One who knows what is best for us! ///