31 Days: Ears Pressed To The Spirit

Some people seem to come by this giving/investing thing naturally. Serving others is their delight and noticing needs and ways to fill them seems to just happen without even trying. Maybe things are not always as they seem, but I am not one of those people. I am quite content to stay in my little world, in my little house and do my own little thing.

Have you ever noticed how good God is at giving you chances to practice what you're learning? Let me give you an example.

I have many weeks where I spend every day at home. Last week I had one day out of the whole week that I was just at home. First of all, I had invited two ladies over for tea before I knew that the next day there was a book study starting that I wanted to join. I planned to do both of those activities before I knew my husband was taking off work three days to work on the house and that I would be invited to a quilting the same day as the book study. Then, I was invited to go along to visit a friend and her baby who is recovering from surgery - an all day excursion that I have been wanting to do. Long before any of this came up, I had registered to attend an out of state ladies retreat which meant I would be leaving Friday morning and returning late Saturday evening. And, oh yeah, one of the things I had to get done was working on a writing project about investing in the lives of the household of faith.....

Do I sit down and laugh or cry?!

I have been good at living safe. I'll even admit to taking some pride in my ability to say 'no' and not be so busy, like a lot of women. I can easily convince myself that I am doing this for my family and my sanity. Last week I said 'yes' to all but the quilting invitation. Seriously, how could I do otherwise and write with any conviction?

I am reminded of the story of the widow and her two mites (Mark 12:41-44). The rich people who gave large sums were just doing what came easily. There was no sacrifice involved, they gave a large amount and never even missed it; congratulations. That's a little like me staying home and not being busy, it's what comes natural to me; congratulations. It has less to do with listening to the Spirit and a whole lot more to do with me doing what's easiest.

Obviously, none of us can do it all and just because it's hard doesn't mean it's automatically the thing I probably need to do. But there is something revolutionary about living with my ear pressed to the Spirit and beginning to view life through the lens of Treasure in Heaven. For some, that might mean saying no more often. For me, it might mean saying yes.