Vitamin Behind

Today, I visited with a dear friend via telephone She has become a mother in recent years, and as we talked, I heard all too clearly the screeches, laughs, shrieks, and pre-speech babble of her adorable (and vocal) two-year-old son.

To be honest, the background noise stole a little of our conversration's magic. Have you tried baring your soul while, in the background, you hear "MOO! MOO!", the sounds of heavy breathing, and fire-engine wails that assure you someone, somewhere, has lost a leg? Yep. That's right. It's nearly impossible ... unless, of course, you take frequent 'pit stops' to repeat, "Is everything okay? Should I let you go now?"

Which, of course, I did. "Shall I call at another time?" I finally asked her , point blank. After all, I'd just been informed that my friend's beloved sound effects generator was now bouncing up and down on her tummy. I just knew my deepest, darkest secrets wouldn't sound the same if she heard them while being used as a crash pad.

But my friend had other ideas. "No, I'm fine," she said calmly. "Let's just keep on talking."

Gingerly, I agreed. It was going to be hard! But as the conversation progressed, I began to relax. The noise in the background - the noise that had formerly overpowered my ability to focus - became a sweet piece of reality for me to enjoy . Although it surely would have been easier to converse without the excess noise, I began to realize that this distraction, however ungraceful, provided the perfect counterpoint to our discussion.

What better backdrop, after all, for weighty matters of the soul than the vivacious laughter of a child? What better balance to so many questions about life, the universe, and God than the heady noise of imaginary airplanes flying over a toddler's own personal landing strip? God is good, and in His mercy He provides these moments of reality - checks on our soul, if you will. All through life - whether in the distraction of background noise on the telephone or an unplanned hiatus from a career - He allows us glimpes into beauties we would not have otherwise seen.

I have gradually begun to notice the budding of my own awareness of these things. The constant chatter of my own children, for example, as I struggle to output an article. The flurry of rain on the roof while my own thoughts bustle inside. Perhaps the mystery of a heavy-traffic day when I'm in a special hurry - or even the demands placed upon a busy schedule by the keeping of a family pet. Each of these things, in a different way, provides the music and lights - the activity that goes on behind the scenes of my life. And each of these things deserves careful attention as well. For, just as in a good movie (or a good conversation), the whole of the experience must be internalized in order to achieve maximum enjoyment, so with life. If I neglect, or worse yet, resent, the things that go on behind the 'main act' I have chosen, I will cheat myself out of the beauty of a complete experience of grace. And I wouldn't miss that kind of wholly great goodness - not for a million quiet chats with my friend.