Then, when my alarm went off two hours later, I ignored it and overslept. Woke up, twenty minutes before I was supposed to be sitting in my office chair checking voicemails, and made a wild run for it!
And, since I hear my mother in the back of my head expressing the necessity of breakfast, I threw a bagel in the toaster and then ran to get dressed. Fifteen minutes later, sitting at my desk, I got really hungry. "Maaaaaan. I forgot my bagel. That stinks." Well, when I walked in the door at 5:30, I saw God's goodness right before my eyes. The bagel had never "popped" up in the toaster but, somehow, hadn't even burned (not to mention the apartment building was still in place and no one had to call the fire department).
But, the real event of Monday was the fact that I have Monday evenings off. Which I really used to enjoy. But now, something has changed. And a night off, with no one in the house but me, is a challenge. The Lord has whispered to my heart and I have been compelled to find out:
- just how much of my life He can possibly fill? -
There's no cable TV in my house. No pets. No one to cook dinner for (unless I want to astonish myself with my culinary skills occasionally). Literally - me and Jesus. Alllllll night long. And these have become the sweetest evenings I could ever ask for. I see people enjoying marriages. Doting over beautiful babies. And sometimes, there's a tinge of sorrow in my heart. And a thought that I have to battle: "It wasn't supposed to be this way."
But, maybe it was. As God draws me, invites me into His presence, part of what I know deep in my soul is that I would have never had this sweet time with Him if life had continued as "planned". This sort of rest area, along the highway, has provided for moments of romance between us and hours of conversation that I think I'll look back on with jealousy as some sticky-jam-handed toddler is pulling on my sweat pants.
Today, as you talk to Jesus through these precious minutes and hours, thank Him for the moment you're living. Thank Him for the plan for this particular season. Whatever it is, it's full of purpose and meaning and His love.
And, since I hear my mother in the back of my head expressing the necessity of breakfast, I threw a bagel in the toaster and then ran to get dressed. Fifteen minutes later, sitting at my desk, I got really hungry. "Maaaaaan. I forgot my bagel. That stinks." Well, when I walked in the door at 5:30, I saw God's goodness right before my eyes. The bagel had never "popped" up in the toaster but, somehow, hadn't even burned (not to mention the apartment building was still in place and no one had to call the fire department).
But, the real event of Monday was the fact that I have Monday evenings off. Which I really used to enjoy. But now, something has changed. And a night off, with no one in the house but me, is a challenge. The Lord has whispered to my heart and I have been compelled to find out:
- just how much of my life He can possibly fill? -
There's no cable TV in my house. No pets. No one to cook dinner for (unless I want to astonish myself with my culinary skills occasionally). Literally - me and Jesus. Alllllll night long. And these have become the sweetest evenings I could ever ask for. I see people enjoying marriages. Doting over beautiful babies. And sometimes, there's a tinge of sorrow in my heart. And a thought that I have to battle: "It wasn't supposed to be this way."
But, maybe it was. As God draws me, invites me into His presence, part of what I know deep in my soul is that I would have never had this sweet time with Him if life had continued as "planned". This sort of rest area, along the highway, has provided for moments of romance between us and hours of conversation that I think I'll look back on with jealousy as some sticky-jam-handed toddler is pulling on my sweat pants.
Today, as you talk to Jesus through these precious minutes and hours, thank Him for the moment you're living. Thank Him for the plan for this particular season. Whatever it is, it's full of purpose and meaning and His love.
