Give Me The Pen

Give me the pen.

“Lord, I don’t want to. This is MY agenda…I need the pen to fill in the details.”

Give me the pen.

“But I just got rolling with my blog again, and I have these ideas I want to try out in the studio, and swimsuit season is just a few months away…”

Relinquishing the offending writing implement is one of the most difficult tasks I face daily. When I give it up, things get rewritten in my agenda…and not the way I want them to. Cross out inspiring "Art Lesson" and write in "doctor’s appointment at 9:30". Erase “work out abs and arms” and rewrite “rest and recuperate from infection”. Delete “write new blog entry” and replace with “wash dirty sheets from sick child…again.” I had it all planned out, but apparently that was just the clue God needed to read through the lines to the deepest part of my heart. “My plans are not your plans,” my God tells me. Then in scripture I read Isaiah 55:

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts…”

I know I have some memory issues (most everybody does these days) but how can I keep forgetting time and time again? Maybe, just maybe (after a week of antibiotic laden reminders) I will remember…it’s not my life. I have already given it to one who holds the ultimate agenda, the sketchbook of the time.  And when God fills in the blanks on my agenda pages, it is abundantly better than my ideas for any day. SO, here is the pen, Lord. Take it away and draw with in my life like only the artist of the universe can do.

A Handful of Hours

This is what I have today. I want to give God my very best and bring Him something worthy…but this is all I have. A handful of hours. That’s it. Nothing more. So I lay them down on the throne. I shuffle them around and sort them out, trying to make it look like fancier, like something more. But it’s still just a handful of hours. “What can you do with these?” I humbly ask, “What good are a handful of hours?”

They are perfect. It’s exactly what He wanted. My Father takes my gift and with strands of love, weaves them into a fabric, wrapping it tenderly around lonely shoulders. He paints them into a picture of kindness and chances to change the world in small ways... ways that matters to just one person at a time. He sculpts my gift into a home where joy overcomes frustration; a place where fear dissolves into peace. With this gift, he draws smiles onto the faces of children, erases a friend’s tears and etches in laughter. This tiny gift is embossing hearts with respect and lives with grace. He prints blessing after blessing with this handful of hours, coloring light into dark spaces. I should have known. He is the Creator.  

I’m not ashamed of my gift anymore. For he who is able to do remarkably more that I could ever imagine wants what is best…even for me! In 2 Corinthians (9:7-8), scripture says “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” I am going to write it out and tape it to my mirror.  You should see what your handful of hours can do. Look prayerfully and watch carefully. You, too, will be amazed.

A Good and Faithful Servant Day

Ever battle the to-do list bulge? I know I do. But there are times when the normal to-do list needs to take a backseat to life. Today,  I realized just how much this applied. The list, sporting a hefty number of need-to-tackle items on it, got distracted today. Prayers were sent and prayers were answered. Time was made for people instead of things, and that is a significant part of living abundantly. Let me give some examples...

My list said, Run 2 Miles with Toby (the dog), but God gave me "Walk 1 mile and meet and encourage a new neighbor." And I am ok with that.

My list said, "Wash the dishes in the sink," but God gave me "Spend time with Jesus and soak up God's word." A precious moment with Jesus that refuels my heart...I am definitely ok with that.

My list said "Clean out Facebook inbox," but God brought me to  "Chat a dear friend who is conflicted and struggling with a broken relationship, then share the verses we were just talking about." And I am so thankful for that.

My list said, "Clean all the tile floors," but life gave me, "Get back to blogging and sharing life......the floors will still be dirty later."  And I am blessed to oblige.

You see, my revelation this morning was not that To-Do lists don't matter. Oh, I'll still wash that sinkfull of dishes and fold the contents of the never-ending-laundry-basket. But if I had been so staunch in fullfilling my list, I would have missed out on some special opportunties to bless and be blessed this morning. And at the end of my day, I will take a "Well done good and faithful servant" over a checked off post it note anytime.  Wouldn't you? It is why God has put me where I am. So I can be useful in building His kingdom. Make it a Good-And-Faithful-Servant Day.