Well, I am one slow learner. Seriously, there are days when I wonder why on earth the Lord puts up with me. But praise God, He looks at me and sees not my rags of selfishness and impatience but Jesus' robes of righteousness. "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress." (Isa.61:10) I didn't earn those robes. Couldn't buy them for all the money in the world. They are a free gift from the One who saved me and redeemed my life from the pit. So thank You Jesus!
So what am I talking about? Well, it's my tendency to be selfish with my time. Yesterday I desperately needed to be working on a lecture for Bible study. But, of course, our youngest is home from school this week for winter break even though the other children are in school. So just as I sat down to get to work, he came into the kitchen and asked me if I could make waffles. Sigh. I'd already fed everyone else (including Moses), cleaned up the kitchen, started a load of laundry, straightened up the house a bit, and, whew, finally now it was my time to get to work on that lecture.
Until a request from an 11 year old for waffles. And we're not talking, "Eggo" here. O noooo, we're talking homemade--complete with hauling out the waffle iron and making the waffle batter. And I'm no Martha Stewart. To put it mildly.
So here was my first reaction--Are you kidding? I've got way too much to do! What a mess! No telling how long this will all take.... blah blah blah.
Now mind you, I wasn't saying this out loud--just thinking it. But that doesn't make a lick of difference to the Lord, since He knows my every thought and motivation.
So I started to explain to my son why I didn't have time, and how about a nice bowl of fruity cheerios, when the Lord, in His grace, stopped me. Seriously, I don't know any other way to say it except that He just suddenly stopped me. Before the words could leave my mouth telling my son no, it was almost as if the Lord spoke audibly.
And here is what I heard. "You will not have a little boy forever.... And you will not have the opportunity to make him waffles forever. Do it now. Stop waiting for the 'perfect time.' Love now. Enjoy the ones you love now. Today. And trust Me with taking care of all I've called you to do."
Maybe no one else needed to hear that reminder, but I sure did. It's so easy to slip into putting your lists ahead of love. And seeking to get things done before showering grace upon the irreplaceable people God has placed in our lives for just a short while.
There will always be laundry. There will not always be little boys wanting waffles. And there will always be chores to be completed... but there will not always be little moments of life to be savored and enjoyed and cherished.
So today, yes, the house is a wreck. Mountains of laundry have piled up from the past few days and who knows what else needs to be done. But yesterday, we made time for waffles. And a special lunch out with my sister and my son. And chatting at the kitchen table later on.
And life on the planet did not end. And the lecture somehow got finished. And God reminded me once again, that if I'm not loving Him and loving the people He's placed in my life, well, then, I'm just completely missing it. Missing life. And missing so much joy.
And guess what? Right at this moment, the house is impossibly quiet (at least for a millisecond or two) so I plan to attack this messy house with a vengeance. Watch out laundry and dirt and mess, here I come!
But I'll be remembering waffles. And laughter at lunch. And God's extraordinary grace in refusing to leave us in the muck of our sin and selfishness. "O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!"
Thank You, Lord, for waffles... and for boys and girls and the messes they make!... and for second and third chances. With You, Lord, it's never too late. To God be the glory.
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