I have been noticing something lately that I want to share with you. It started when I scanned an article recently entitled, “Interruptions or Divine Interventions?” The meat of the article was how at times what Satan wants us to take as divine interventions are nothing more than his interruptions in our day. The writer shared how God has led him to discover clues that define the two.
As I meditated on this and thought of parents with children now out of school for a few weeks and of course, in our lives the addition of a small baby. I thought of daily schedules that leave more undone than done. When I began listing things that occur in lives that must be prioritized I became tired just thinking.
I must confess the urgent often outweighs the important during my days. With the health issues Ray and I face and the desire to help Zoe with the baby since Stewart is away most of the time and the pull to be all I can for my workplace, I lose the important too often.
As I have prayed on this for a few days I remembered what is to me a comforting scripture, “HE remembers that we are but dust”. At first my mind ran to lowliness of dust and the ordinariness of dust. How far beneath HIS glory dust is. But then Jesus asked me to consider something else. HE asked me to open the blinds and look at my nightstand. Ashamedly I have to say there was plenty of dust there to observe (wonder what urgent took that important cleaning time). As I looked HE began to have me consider how fragile each dust particle was. How will just a gust of my breath some of the particles could be blown from view and forgotten. Unlike some things in creation the dust particles had to have something to rest on to ever be out of motion.
Then HE reminded me of how very fragile all of us are in reality. We boast great strength and stamina but without leaning on HIM we have no strength at all. It is in the leaning upon HIM that we will be able to discern between urgent and important. Distinguish between responsibility and false sense of guilt. To learn it is okay not to be in perpetual motion. To exercise the freedom to say, “No, I don’t think I can do that”.
True we live in world that celebrates self-centeredness. People are applauded when they demand their “me time”. But trying to counter that culture without the guidance of the Holy Spirit can cause us to first, be overwhelmed, then angry, then resentful, etc.
I read a prayer by an old saint a few days ago. Each night he would thank God for the strength to have accomplished what was accomplished. Then he thanked God for the ability to peacefully let go of what did not get accomplished, trusting that since he had placed his life in God’s hands what was done was what God had intended for that day. Then before sleep he would release the next day into the Father’s care and planning.
Rest, my precious ones. Not sleep. Rest. That can only come from the Father’s good hand and only when we allow HIM to direct our every step.
Hope to see you in a Tea Room soon,
Elizabeth