My Valley of Dirty Laundry and Sticky Fingers

But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delievered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.

               1 Samuel 17:34-37

At least once a year I get all fired up to get my cleaning schedule organized. I search Pinterest for all those handy schedules that someone else has prepared to tell me what to clean on which day of the week. One year I even purchased an app for my phone that reminded me of my daily checklist. I thought it was fabulous...for about a week. 

Needless to say, my life as a wife and mom of three little ones gives me a never ending list of things to do. School lunches, loading and unloading the dishwasher, and the never ending piles of dirty laundry fill my days. Not to mention the fact that as soon as I complete a task, like laundry and dishes, it has to be done again.  I'm not going to lie, there are days where my life seems to be going in circles and I'm left wondering why I even bother to scrub the floors or pick up the toys. Days that just looking at my kitchen table leave me exhausted.

Those are days when I turn to the verses found above in 1 Samuel. I read about how David, although a young man and annointed king of Israel, was still tending the sheep in his father's flock. Not evenhis own flock, but his father's. But the verses above also lead up to the time when he was stepping out in faith to challenge Goliath. While everyone else, including the king, was afraid of the Philistine giant, David boldly declared that he would fight the giant because he knew the God of Israel would win the battle for him. Why? Because he has spent all that time tending his father's sheep getting to know The Lord and witnessing God's provision and protection in facing the day to day tasks of tending those sheep.

As I tend my own little sheep and all their messes, I remember that this is a huge mission field that God has placed me in each day. He has given me simple tasks that bless the members of my family. And even if I never have a book published or speak to change lives, being faithful in raising my children to follow The Lord is enough.

Is there something small that The Lord is calling you to be faithful in today?

Rest. Be.

This post is a little bit different from what I usually post, but something I wanted to share with you. I'd love to hear your reaction and if it prompts you to look at your own time with God differently!

I hear my name softly as I walk through the aisles. Row after row of words jump out at me. Book after book call out for me to take them and explore their pages. I start to take one down, but stop.

I hear my name again.

I walk faster, quickly glancing down each row before moving on. Still I press on and resist the distractions, though I am tempted.

Finally, I round the last row and find a quiet little corner with two cushioned chairs in front of a crackling fire.

I notice He is there, just like always.

He smiles and invites me to sit. I start to say something, but He already knows my excuses and temptations, even the ones I gave in to. He knows my requests before I speak. I fight the urge to speak first and try to calm my racing thoughts as I await His voice.

Finally, He speaks.

"I am always here and never as far away as you may think I am. Even amid the distractions that surround you, I am with you. Rest. Be."