So, something happened last night that brought on the following thoughts. It was sort of my previous posts being brought into real life.
1. What if instead of saying, “Crap! I have to do _______!”
We would say, “Wow! I get to do _______”.
Instead of a chore, see it as a privilege. An honor. See it for what it is in the beautiful process that is our making. Glorious!
2. Jesus said “when you give, don’t even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” I have always related that to giving a donation or putting money in the plate at church. But it’s much bigger, greater, more significant than that.
So here’s what happened yesterday evening, the event that made me think of both points above:
I’m on my way to dinner with friends, having a good old time, and I get a phone call. It’s a nurse from the Dr. ‘s office that is doing a procedure on Mom next week. The nurse says, we are going to need you to bring your mom to the hospital for such and such at 9 am every single day prior to the procedure. Every day. 9am. Even the weekend. Now people! I am retired! I am having coffee at 9am and maybe posting for you beautiful people or playing candy crush on my cellphone or whatever else I do …………….. AT HOME.
It was like someone had pulled the wind out of my sails. Ugh!
So point 1. Above. I say, Crap, I have to take mom to the hospital every day at 9am. ( I know to most of you, this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I am SO selfish and pretty darn lazy. LOL) So then all that the Lord has been bringing to my heart lately makes me ask, what would my reaction be in God? If I can just open my eyes and heart to the beauty that God brings into my life. Surprises. Things that catch me off guard and show me exactly where I am, if I see His work, then I can realize what a gift each happening is. I don’t “have to.” I “get to.” I get to rise up each morning for the next week and take mom to the hospital and be a servant, and love, and who knows what other joy will come of it? I need to see things differently. Correctly.
And point 2. Above. As soon as I got that call from the nurse, and hung up, and was all devastated and everything, I immediately told everyone in the car. I sort of made out like it would be hard on mom for her to go every morning, but I also made it clear that, ugh! It would be hard on me too! Not only did I let my left hand know what my right hand was doing, I let everyone in the near vicinity know what I was doing! LOL
I don’t think I could have reacted differently. Not yet. I’m still a poor excuse. But all this to say, God is doing a work. And maybe just seeing these things is a start. Just being aware of them and giving myself over to God.
The goal is not for us to become better people.
The goal is “Christ in us, the hope of glory.”
Pretty cool. I’m off to the hospital! 😀
I love you all.
