Seemingly insignificant duties are far more important than we realize for God sanctifies them and uses them to bless us, transform our communities, and bring glory to His name. As our nation needs change, we need to understand it is the small consistent things we do in life that can truly make a difference such as using my rocking chair that I hold dear and carry around with me wherever I move.
Some of us might think rocking chairs are old, and outdated but think about it, the new furniture may have not have a place for a rocking chair like mine but just as I am growing older gracefully, so is the chair and so are my children and grandchildren that I rocked in the chair. I think as society we forget the importance of these small older seemingly insignificant things but as the saying goes, she who rocks the cradle or in this case rocks the babies, helps to change the world.
After my first son was born, the hunt was on for a rocking chair, not an expensive hardwood but a soft pine rocker, one that could be etched in over the years and solid enough to last through several more children. That chair did not mean much to me then but 32 years later, it means a lot. That child is now a Sheriff deputy for the OC Sheriff’s Dept working in a difficult time and season of the US. I may not rock him but I pray for him every single day. During those young years all the living room really had to offer was this chair, now it sits in my bedroom just waiting for another grandchild to rock. Sure there were a few pieces of furniture but they were not meaningful at all. Those other pieces are long gone but the rocking chair still remains.
This is truly the center of my bedroom because of its seemingly small significance. It is now a lovely oddity that sits in my bedroom in order to rock whoever the newest grandbaby is and right now it is Ivy. She loves when I rock her, even now as a two year old. It was free to be used by her mom to rock her when she would feed her and hold her daughter close like I did mine. This is a serious rocking chair. My oldest still has his signature in big block letters on it written when no one was looking. The half moon base holds everything solid on the floor where it rocks and the crack in the base that had to be repaired by my late husband because over the years it had been worn down and the tall back that I could rest my head on when it was late while rocking my children.
It has been refinished by my third son when he was 14. He now is the father two girls, one which is Ivy and has grown into a wonderful young man. He sanded it down all the while making sure some of the impressions of the distant past etchings and marks remained for the future memories. Remembering the late nights and early mornings of holding my babies and children while sick or just wanting comfort in the rocking chair. So now the color matches my newer furniture.
We have had prayers, play time, discussions, questions and concerns all around that chair because it sat in the middle of my bedroom and while finishing this story up, the quick prayer sent by me to thank the Lord for this small insignificant piece of furniture with the many significant memories.
~Michelle
