beWARM

Procrastination is a characteristic of mine that I am not particularly proud of.

The morning went something like this:

(Upon awakening)  Wow!  I have almost 3 hours until rehearsal.  I can get in some quiet time, exercise, and catch up on a few chores before leaving the house.

(After coffee and my husband leaving for work) I’ll just get the kitchen cleaned up before I sit down with my devotional. Then my mind will be  more settled.

(Kitchen in state of  partial clean up, glancing at the fireplace) Boy, that  wind was fierce yesterday! I had better clean out the fireplaces and close the flues.

(On the way to get the ash bucket, looking at the  the dining room mirror)  Oh my, I could get rid of those nasty streaks with my new Mystic Maid cloth that a friend gave me!  She says it works like a charm.

(Admiring the crystal clear glass)  Amazing!!!  It won’t take too long to wipe off all of the other glass surfaces in the house.

(Parts of the house, newly sparkled)  Hey, why not try this on the piano!  After all, the tuner is coming this afternoon – and he really wouldn’t want to look at  3 days of dust, would he?

(Looking at the clock)  Let’s see…that only took 1 hour.  I still have time to vacuum out the fireplaces, and do the floors, too.

(Taking the bag of ashes down to the trash)  While in de-cluttering mode, I might as well get rid of the mountain of recycling in the garage.  I can’t stand looking at it any longer! I can take it all to the dump on the way to rehearsal.

(After loading up the car)  I had better hustle if I want to squeeze in some prayer time.   But oops, I forgot I was supposed to copy that music for rehearsal!  

(Abandoning the copy attempts – machine not cooperating) I really should send those emails before heading out.

(Finishing emails, and refraining from attempting to get to the next level on Candy Crush) I’ll have just enough time to get a quick shower.

Then…the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer walloped me right between the eyes.  I subscribed to his email Devotional, shortly after Lent began.

And here are his words:

Prayer offered in early morning is decisive for the day. The wasted time we are ashamed of, the temptations we succumb to, the weakness and discouragement in our work, the disorder and lack of discipline in our thinking and in our dealings with other people – all these very frequently have their cause in our neglect of morning prayer. The ordering and scheduling of our time will become more secure when it comes from prayer.

It was then that I knew that every bit of my frantic “doing” did not clear my mind in the least.  And the smear-free mirrors and pristine piano lid matter little in the big picture.

They certainly did not help the day to unfold in a more orderly fashion, either…and  all the while, my guilt kept increasing.

I regretfully admit that as I piled on chores, the opportunity to spend time with God dwindled away to nothing.

And I’m sure this preoccupation must  have disappointed Him. And, no doubt, He sees through my flimsy excuses.

My “spin-cycle” morning finally stopped when it pointed in the right direction: toward God, and the need to put Him at the top of the list – with no excuses or distractions.

Tomorrow is a new day;  my quiet time will come first.

Then, with a prayer and peace-filled heart, the day can begin.

O Lord, hear me as I pray;
    pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
    for I pray to no one but you.
 Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
    Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.  ~Psalm 5:1-3

 

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Not much is written about how Mary was feeling about her pregnancy and the imminent birth of the baby Jesus.

Do you suppose she struggled with morning sickness, or had food cravings?

At the very least, the concerns of all first-time mothers occupied her thoughts.

The song Breath of Heaven expresses her doubts and fears in a beautiful way as she tells God she is apprehensive, and asks Him if there was someone else who might have taken her place.

She prays, Hold me together, Be forever near me.  Lighten my darkness, Pour over me your holiness. Help me be strong.

My immediate reflection upon hearing this song was to remember the instances where I have felt unsure, fearful, or confused  – and how God (thankfully!) infused His peace into my heart, helping me trust Him with every situation.

Sometimes I could barely hear His subtle murmurs.

God is always there when we need Him the most….and when we least expect Him to be.

His quiet breezes surround us, each and every day, permeating our lives.

Have you sensed His presence recently?

Here are some recent Breaths of Heaven I have experienced….

• An impromptu gift wrapping session that became a lovely sharing of faith and friendship
• A dear friend’s mother, now in heaven with the Lord, after a battle with cancer
• Little voices that are excited when they hear their Nana on the phone
• Lunch with a sweet young friend – edifying and heartwarming
• Hugs from those I love, anytime, anywhere
• Being wished “Merry Christmas with stars on it!” by a woman at a Memory Care center (I just love that image!)

I invite you to close your eyes and recollect the simple ways God surrounds your day with Himself.

He is our zephyr, our background music, and our bright star. He has given us the greatest gift and life-force of all – His Son.

Let God’s gentle whispers wash over you…

And make you love and appreciate Him all the more.

Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! ~Psalm 150:6

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When it comes to ironing, I am the Procrastinator Supreme. Why I have this aversion is beyond me.

Perhaps it stems from all of those dampened and starched pillowcases I had to press as one of my weekly chores during my childhood days.

Any household jobs requiring rubber gloves are not an issue – but the mounting wrinkled mass in the laundry basket has been, well….easily and indefinitely ignored.

A few of the clothes have rested there for so long they are in danger of becoming vintage pieces.

I knew this was a serious issue when, as I began my quest of diminishing the massive heap, my husband asked me if I had bought him some new shirts.

How could I have had such a lapse?

My disdain for de-wrinkling surely stems from the fact that, to me, it is tedious, boring work.

Oswald Chambers tells us that the challenge of walking with God is to find Him in the mundane tasks before us. He says,

The height of the mountain top is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley; but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God.

As I prayed through the ironing, God prompted me to wonder if there was anything else piling up in my life…or in my heart.

Hmmmm….making mountains out of molehills took on a new meaning.

God can certainly show us ways to reduce our emotional (and material!) pile-ups, and help smooth out life’s wrinkles.

Though we are grateful for His blessings that astound us, we honor Him most by recognizing His presence in the humdrum of our days… in the most laborious tasks.

So, dear friends…let’s press on!

We are not meant to be illuminated versions (of the new life God has put into us), but the common stuff of ordinary life exhibiting the marvel of the grace of God. ~ Oswald Chambers, parentheses mine

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