Welcome to the neighborhood!

Everything has movement. Some things at the speed of light , other things barely seem to inch along. But time and space play out in such a way that we must not assume any vain sense of permanence in our lives. Boundries change, in our land as well as our thoughts. People come into seasons of our lives, and objects seem to be important one day and obsolete the next.

Have you ever had a day that seemed like it would never end? You set out to accomplish a list of mundane yet necesary tasks. Along the way you find the day has you and you are less in control of the unfolding plans that side track your expectations. Granted we all try to "work the list", but the harder we try the more frustrating it can become or the more rigid we become when the unexpected presents a demand of us.

I am a list person mentally! I like to set up my day , like bowling pins-and knock down each chore ! I feel a sense of productivity in each area of completion. For many years the things on my list gave me control over the hours I accounted for. It gave me dialogue with people around me. I t represented the image of someone who was industrious. I had a schedule to keep therefore I was needed to fulfill a responsible role. This role was sometimes as a part of a workforce, other times as wife & mother. And also part of the community in service and volunteerism.

Structure is a wonderful thing until it has a crack in it's foundation! And as Ecclesiastes 3 states "there is a time for everything under heaven, a time to build and a time to tear down". What does the tearing down have to do with my plans? It doesn't have as much to do with me as it has to do with Gods plan for me !

Years of identifying myself with various roles has me questioning my non-identity or place in the current scheme of things. I have more time to chat in a supermarket line with strangers, extra hours to spend reading, availability to do "on call " visits to sick or lonely friends & neighbors. And at first I almost felt guilty not sitting at home waiting to feed a teenager wandering in for a bite to eat , or jumping up to serve my husband after a long day at work.( Mind you none in my household are incapable of any of these things , it was just my territoy for so long.)

There I said it, I am a territorial being! My space, my time, my way! And as I now look back I have marked so many areas in My world. Have you felt ownership over your life , like me? Have you felt controlling tendencies? That is how foundations crack!!!

It has been a process to discover the areas of my life I have limited by my own harsh assessment of myself or expectations of others. I daily invite you to search out the Living God in your "things to do list". You may be surprised to find that "only a few things are necesary".

Two sisters invited Jesus to their home. One ( Martha) was frustrated by all the preparations for hospitality, the other ( Mary) sat with Jesus at HIs feet . Martha did not ask Mary to help. In her growing frustration she tried to manipulate her sister into doing the same thing she was doing, to accomplish her "to do list". She directed her statement to Jesus, to elevate the importance of her ideas on serving, and to reveal the lack of help she was recieveing . Jesus said "Martha, Martha, only a few things are necesary, Mary has chosen the good part."

Jesus was not infering that a meal wasn't needed, He was addressing the crack in Martha's foundation. It was time for Martha to stop validating herself at the cost of taking others hostage to her plan. Jesus loved Martha dearly! He wanted her to be free from the entanglements of control. He gently provided Martha with a way out and Mary with a way in to His truth about how to accept themselves in light of His love for them both. No guilt!

Focus on the importance of each task,does it leave time to spend with Jesus ? Does it really impress Him to have you knock yourself out at the cost of offending others? Will it bring you new insight to His heart of love for you? Or do you want all the pain so you get all the glory? Ultimately All Glory belongs to God!

A firm foundation keeps the Structure supported, Don't crack up!