A KNOCK AT THE DOOR…AND A LESSON LEARNED
How was your Thanksgiving?!!! We had a great time. There were 47 of us at Tenkiller State Park in Oklahoma. For the first time, the children out numbered us. Ha!!! Great food, sweet conversations, crafts with the kids, rock climbing and potato sack races. That was a hoot!! I think the most fun was pinning the feather on the turkey. We laughed so hard as Uncle Josh kept moving the turkey. Ha!!!
Well, here we are, it is the end of November and December is right around the corner. I love this time of year, but my schedule does get full. People to see, gifts to buy, decorations to put up and goodies to bake. There are plenty of things to do. So, when I answered the door, I was not wanting to add one more thing to my day.
As we chatted, this woman just wouldn’t leave. So, I invited her in. Fixed her a cup of coffee and we ended up visiting for over three hours!!!
It didn’t take long before I realized that this interruption in my day was a God-appointment.
The LORD reminded me that the work is His, the day is His and I am His…and this sweet lady who stopped by to see me, is also His!!
Oh, how possessive I can be with my time and my schedule. Afterall, I am trying to please the LORD. Oh boy, can’t you see the LORD smiling right now.
As we enter into the holiday season maybe it would be good to remind ourselves that God is not only the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, He is also the God of interruptions.
No doubt, a young virgin two thousand years ago experienced a bit of an interruption in her life when an angel appeared and told her, God is changing your plans. You will carry the Son of God in your womb and you will raise Him. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the LORD God will give Him the throne of His father David.”
She had a wedding to plan. I am almost positive this was not on her agenda.
Oh, how easy it is to gloss over these words. Mary recognized that God is God and she is not, and gave Him the right to reorder her life!!
So, how did Mary respond? “What another interruption?!! Lord, you know how busy I am and all I have to do.”
No. She altered her plans and let God reorder her life.
The other day I picked up a book and read this quote by Annie Keary who lived from 1825-1879.
“I think I find the most help in trying to look on all the interruptions and hindrances to work that one has planned out for oneself as discipline, trials sent by God to help one against getting selfish over one’s work. Then one can feel that perhaps one’s true work-one’s work for God-consists in doing some trifling haphazard thing that has been thrown into one’s day. It is not a waste of time, as one is tempted to think, it is the most important part of the work of the day-the part one can best offer to God. After such a hindrance, do not rush after the planned work; trust that the time to finish it will be given…and keep a quiet heart about it.”
Really? The most important part of my day are the interruptions and the hindrances to my work?!
LORD, help us to hold our plans loosely and when you send interruptions, help us to receive them with a quiet heart. Like Mary may we be able to say, “Behold, the bondservant of the Lord, be it unto me according to your word.”
Now, if you’ll excuse me for just a bit, I have some Christmas decorations to put up☺
Hugs.
Bobbie