sunday's gem

over the years, i've heard a lot about how to prepare myself for church on sunday mornings. being physically present is not enough - it's being ready ... prepared and paying attention to what God is doing that is critical.

every sunday, without fail, God shares Himself with all of us corporately and individually. what sinks into my heart, mind, and soul depends on how much i allow myself to be open with Him. when i pay attention and am open, God always shares one thing during the service that speaks to me - an ah-ha moment of sorts. it resounds in my spirit and switches on that light bulb in my brain that says, "whoa! i gotta remember this!"

i believe that if i don't come away from church with that "gem" of truth from God, then i wasn't ready to receive it - and THAT'S a bummer! i hate when i waste an opportunity to receive something from God, and am so thankful that He continues to love me and speak to me anyway ... waiting for me to catch up.  :^)

(i'll tell you a secret:  God is easy to catch. just tune in. talk to Him and listen ...)

my gem for today:  "when the house is orderly, the atmosphere is more enjoyable."

that speaks to me because, first of all, i'm not much of a housekeeper. my virtual world is meticulously neat and kept up (like most techies), but my physical world tends to get messy - and i'm not quick to clean any of it up. sadly, i'm okay with that to an embarrassing degree.

but this morning i thought, "no wonder having piles of this and that around the house drives my husband crazy! i see those piles as items in transit that haven't completed their journey. he sees A MESS - and no wonder he's not happy when it seems like the house is shrinking as the piles grow." i really don't think about atmosphere. it never occurred to me to see it that way.

gary can't enjoy a messy home. i'm willing to settle for a mess. and God says to me, "hey, rosie, you can love your husband in a brand new way if you help keep the house clean. do some laundry. put some away. pick up your piles of books and place them on your bookshelves. go through the mail and throw the junk away. file the papers you have to keep. put things in their place and enjoy your home with your husband."

i see the sparkling gem of truth before me. how am i going to respond? am i willing to deal with my own issues:  fear, laziness, selfishness ... and do something different?

with God's help, i can and i will. i'll check in on wednesday and let you know how i'm doing. i may have to spend less time behind this keyboard ... and more time cleaning the bathroom. (i actually like doing that!)