"See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble..." ... Hebrews 12:15
******
So this morning I'd long-finished my coffee cake muffin and still sipped my (dreamy) coffee at the cafe--
... while reading my book --
--and thought, "This is soo relaxing, calm, but darn! It's time to walk home and do all that housework--again. Sigh."
Immediately my head squealed, "Debra! Tsk. Tsk. Do your housework with joy and it'll be as pleasant as sitting here. That's what you blog about, right?"
Yeah, yeah, yeah. 😐 Heh.
Sometimes (every day?) we must get tough with our summer doldrum attitudes and become all Barney Fife-ish. You know, all "Nip it! Nip it in the bud."
Go allowing ugly, grippy roots to grow deep, long, and we'll regret it. But pluck tiny weeds (or trouble-causing buds) upon discovery and oh! A cinch, really.
As I've written before, 90% of our lives is the oh-so-daily stuff and not the vacations, parties, girls-night-outs, graduations, concerts or gatherings where people are all, like, "I appreciate you!".
Uh, no.
Ninety percent of our lives is Reality. The working, errands, washing, driving, paying bills, cooking, helping, shopping and laundry part of our decades of this oh-so-quickly-it's-over Life God breathed into us.
And oh, how vital that we not --
Complain nor
Dread nor
Wish 90% of our lives away.
So today, Debra, listen up! While you dust, vacuum and scrub the kitchen windowsill where the cats sit, you'll celebrate this huge, joy-giving God inside you.
You'll water your garden while basking in gratitude and prayer. You'll empty the trash and clean the bathtub while listening to music and maybe even sing along.
You'll help others and count yourself fortunate to be able to do so.
And it'll be a brilliant, to-be-remembered day. Even though it's just a regular ol' 90% one, God will shine bright and warm within the center of it--and He makes all days worth celebrating.
All. Days. The obviously special ones--and otherwise.
What remains is that I, all of us, wake up and see that.
"So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love ... and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." ... Ephesians 3:17, Colossians 2:7
Every single day brings the potential for wonder, creativity and surprises--good ones. Never forget.
******
Well, this book came out in 2016--
--and oh, ol' Debra sooo wanted to read it! But not at its original $28 price.
Uh, no. She's too much of an online bottom-price feeder for that.
So she waited for the price to drop. And waited--and finally was rewarded.
She snatched one for $4.26. 😌 (Find it here, also.)
It arrived yesterday and wow. She can't read it fast enough.
Excellent, smooth writing,
adventurous
and scary,
sad, poignant, inspiring,
and fascinating--
all of the above.
She just thought she'd mention it.
******
Oh! And my friend, Judy, shared at Facebook this upcoming movie trailer. Looks awesome.
******
That movie does look good though it already makes me weepy! Thank you for the lovely reminder as I return to my dusting and vacuuming with a happier heart!
ReplyDeleteHappy hearts! That is what I need to remember as I’m sweeping up dog hair and cat fur every day! It is supposed to be 103°F here today. I find myself staying inside most days right now. It’s too hot to even go to the lake! Now that’s hot! Happily for me, I love being home in my cozy little place with the air conditioner running. Believe me, I have been thanking the Lord for providing us with that air-conditioner. I hope you have a most lovely day my sweet friend. Blessings, Betsy
ReplyDeleteBarney had the right attitude, Nip it in the bud. I walk my dog twice a day and sometimes pray a thank you for being able to walk and enjoy that time. I like how you aim to make house work an upbeat experience.
ReplyDeleteI had a "tsk, tsk" morning, too. After I drank my coffee, I thought of the zucchini waiting for me in the bottom of the frig. I tried to forget them for a few days, but today, they called my name. Now I have 40 zucchini muffins in the freezer, plus, I cleaned out the refrigerator! I also had to scrub the floor (due to flying shreds of zucchini) and clean the fronts of the cabinets, too. BUT, I finished up my work, and got my laptop, and read this post. This life we've been given is such a gift! Two years ago, I didn't have the strength to do much of anything, but today I was able to do much. Debra, you're such an encourager. Thank you for reminding us of the truth!
ReplyDeleteFirst off Debra,that movie looks so good!! Second, your blog post today makes so much sense! My hubby had his hip replaced in June and he didn't bounce back from this operation like he has from others. I needed to do so much more for him this time - and after a while, I began to silently resent all the constant effort -day and night.And then after a few days of feeling pretty sorry for myself, something hit me. Bible verses popped into my head like the one about everything you do, do it as if you are doing it unto the Lord....and my heart really changed. I thanked God that I was ABLE to help my husband, and I feel like that bad attitude of mine was nipped in the bud pretty quickly. Thankfully! Those pity parties are really no fun at all. Hubby is doing so much better these days. It's been about six weeks since the surgery and he felt good enough to go outside and paint the deck today. There's nothing wrong with a real-life reminder of that "in sickness and in health" promise I made so many years ago :-)
ReplyDelete