Posts




Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Banging on the Door

God wants to meet me alone in the dark.
He wants me to go into a quiet place, to shut the door, and to concentrate on Him alone.
No distractions, no interruptions.

When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.--Matthew 6:6

And then He sends me life.
A thousand details.
Every day.
Like toddlers banging on the bathroom door they come, crying, "Me, me, me..."

Make beds.  Do dishes. Change diapers. Check off lists. Make appointments. Drive someone to practice. Return phone calls. Kiss an owie. Pack a lunch. Dust.

And He sends all this stuff on purpose.
He does it to teach me to love Him.

He knows that love is born in details.
When I do something big, something significant for God, I learn to love the act, not Him, or love the result or, worse yet, myself.
"Thank you for this opportunity to serve you, God and, by the way, look at the cool thing I did. Didn't I do a good job?"
On the other hand, a temporarily dry bottom or the top of a refrigerator finally wiped clean or a prayer said on the way to the grocery never inspires such obvious congratulation.

In small works of devotion, the ones invisible to all but God Himself, we encounter Him alone.
He sent me these responsibilities.  He put them in my path.  They come from Him as gifts for communion.
And they make me more like Him.

Small, insignificant tasks become, if I let them, the prayers I say without ceasing.
Whatever you do, whether word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the Father through Him.--Colossians 3:17

5 comments:

  1. Cute pic that illustrates this so well (and makes me chuckle!)
    Thank you for the insight in these statements:
    "When I do something big, something significant for God, I learn to love the act, not Him, or love the result or, worse yet, myself."
    "On the other hand, a temporarily dry bottom [etc] never inspires such obvious congratulation."
    "In small works of devotion, the ones invisible to all but God Himself, we encounter Him alone... Small, insignificant tasks become, if I let them, the prayers I say without ceasing."
    You are helping me understand better how Brother Lawrence could do such small acts as picking up a straw for the love of God, and what good worship they are.
    Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brother Lawrence did this so well. It seems so hard for me, but his little book is one I have shared often, for precisely that reason.

      Jesus did lots of big things, then said "Follow me", but I think that He meant to follow Him in obeying His Father, in doing the work set out for us, not what He did.

      One of my favorite writers, Reynolds Price said something like, "Few men are called to anything greater than dinner." I tend to agree.

      Delete
  2. Great way to think of the responsibilities of a mommy -- praying through them all. I needed that encouragement today. Great picture! (hopping over from Womanhood with Purpose)

    ReplyDelete
  3. "When I do something big, something significant for God, I learn to love the act, not Him, or love the result or, worse yet, myself."
    There is so much truth in this! The small intricate details of life so often provide the most precious moments of communion with our Lord.
    I'm a new follower visiting via WWP and would love for you to visit and, if blessed, follow.

    ReplyDelete