More Active Posts
Front Page
Messy days
 |
 11 Comments |
There is nothing tidy about the Christian life, and that goes double if you have a paying job that doesn’t require your body somewhere between 9 and 5. What happens then is that the looks of your day will be a reflection of what you think is important to God. Not in a prefab way but as a running improvisation.
An hour of Bible at dawn is non-negotiable (“I will not neglect your word” Psalm 119:16). An hour of prayer-walking with Spider is also a given (“Devote yourselves to prayer” Colossians 4:2; “physical training is of value” – 1 Timothy 4:8).
You set out to do something toward earning a living, because “if anyone does not provide for his relatives…he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” — 1 Timothy 5:8.
Then the phone rings. It has rung all morning, but you’ve let the answering machine do triage. You look up from your work, remembering that God also wants you to “love your neighbor.”
When “love your neighbor” and “provide for the members of your household” seem to conflict, you may go in a couple of directions — say no to your neighbor and trust that God will provide for her in some other way, or say no to your work and trust that God will provide for you and your family anyway. It’s the germ of faith in the choice that God looks for.
At the end of the day the canvas is messy — with daubs of “Love your neighbor” here, and streaks of “Provide for your relatives” there, and smudges of “Be devoted to prayer” and smears of “I will not neglect your word.” But it’s a mess you made trying to please Him, and He sees that and smiles.
 |
Topic: Front Page, Odds & Ends |  |
Email a friend |
 |
Keywords: Christian life, writing |  |
RSS 2.0 |
 |
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. |  |
Share this: |
Messiah complex
sorry to be so dumb, but who is Spider?
It’s her dog who she walks in the morning while she prays. She must be home now from her visit to the Keswick Colony of Mercy.
When “love your neighbor” and “provide for the members of your household” seem to conflict, you may go in a couple of directions — say no to your neighbor and trust that God will provide for her in some other way, or say no to your work and trust that God will provide for you and your family anyway.
Why fret over these small, but vexing moral dilemmas? Everyone wants to do the right thing, and we’re always afraid we’ve done the wrong thing. It can leave us guilt ridden, with frazzled nerves. I work at home, and I face this sort of thing constantly. But I’ve found a way to deal with it: around noon, I make myself a big margarita. It really helps me relax, and smooths out the rough edges.
I don’t want people to think that this is some sort of magic potion that works every time. Not at all. Sometimes it doesn’t work right away, so I make another one. I’ve never needed more than two to get the job done.
NT,
If the margaritas don’t do the trick, you could try CALM magnesium powder. It is great stuff around the clock!
I’d rather rest in Jesus Christ, who is our Sabbath rest, then have a margarita. Besides, I know way too many people who do that and then are not really fun to be around anymore. A margarita and similar things just blur things; Christ brings clarity and true rest. I AM NOT SAYING NO ONE CAN EVER HAVE A DRINK!
good article (had a VERY MESSY DAY) and good advice in the comments–time for a margarita!
Magnesium? LOL - now that might work, but then you could stay home next to the bathroom all day.
Andree,
Thanks so much. Your wisdom, clearly illustrated in this article, has given me needed direction and relief.
7-
I don’t have to spend much time in the bathroom at all!!
Thank you, Andrée. You describe my every day (add young kids). It was great to know I’m not the only one.
This article generates the following questions:
1. Perhaps Americans work too much?
2. Are we too prosperous? Not prosperous enough?
3. Other religious people find ample time to spend with their gods, why not christians?
4. Is tequilla really the answer? How about a beer instead?
5. Didn’t Christ promise not to give us more than we could handle?
The reminder found in question #5 is what keeps me going knowing God will not give me more than I can handle. He has equipped me to take on whatever task (in advance even according to scripture) He has put before me and I have to trust in that. But as the article proposes, it ain’t always easy!