A three-year-old can’t draw very well, but that never slows him down. He grabs a crayon and runs it across the paper . . .
Read moreinviting God in
Right now. Right in the middle of the mess and press and confusion of everyday, ordinary life: that is where the rubber meets the road. Either I invite God into the mess and press and confusion of right-now, or I fend for myself. It’s my choice.
Yesterday, I fended for myself. I shouldered the weight of every problem. I raced from task to task, because getting things done was all up to me. By bedtime, I was exhausted and out of sorts, unfit company for anyone (including myself).
Today, I get a fresh start. I can practice inviting God into my sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life. I don’t have to carry today alone. That is very good news.
“Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God . . . .” Romans 12:2
“God does not force his presence on us. When lesser gods attract, God withdraws, honoring our fatal freedom to ignore Him.” Philip Yancey
10 lessons from a three-year-old
10 lessons from a three-year-old
1. Being silly is a good vacation from being serious.
2. When you’re playing with the hose, just play with the hose. Don’t worry about what you’re going to do next.
3. If you need help, ask for it.
4. There’s nothing better than listening to a good story.
5. If you miss somebody special, it’s okay to cry.
6. When you don’t like the plan, offer a compromise.
7. If you can’t figure out where the puzzle pieces go, don’t get upset. Just play with something else instead.
8. If you love somebody, hug him and tell him you love him.
9. When you feel very happy, sing.
10. ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘next summer’ and ‘in half an hour’ don’t make nearly as much sense as ‘right now.’
“Always the world was fresh to him, as it is fresh to children and to the very mature. . . .” Katherine Bregy
“[I]n the wide-open spaces of God’s grace. . . .” Romans 5:2
sleepwalking
Sleepwalkers don’t just walk. They talk and drive cars and cook meals and write checks. They look wide awake, but they aren’t. They’re just going through the motions.
It’s easy to slip into sleepwalking. I do it sometimes. I look like I’m wide awake, but I’m not. I’m just going through the motions. Ho-hum. Same-old-same-old. Dusty and dry.
Sometimes I wake up on my own, and sometimes something “bad” wakes me up--a health scare or a relational crisis or whatever. Waking up changes everything. When I’m wide awake, things like getting out of bed in the morning and sitting at my desk and folding laundry don’t seem mundane anymore. In fact, when I’m wide awake, there is no mundane.
“You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy. . . .” Isaiah 26:19
“now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened” e.e. cummings
report card
Our preschooler got his report card yesterday. It said, “Your child brings this special quality to our class: . . . ,” and then the teacher describes the special quality. Our little guy apparently brings “a sense of wonder and excitement.”
So I’ve been wondering this morning--what would my report card say?
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein
“[T]he place where you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5
let it begin with me
Years ago, I was complaining to a friend about someone else’s shortcomings. She did me a big favor. Instead of commiserating, she said this: “Whenever you point a finger at somebody else, there are three fingers pointing back at you.” I need to remember that today. If things need to change, let it begin with me.
“Thy kingdom come [in my life]. Thy will be done [in my life]. . . . Forgive [me]. . . .” Matthew 6:10
“God, grant me . . . the courage to change the things I can. . . .” Serenity prayer