This week has been a bit different than business as usual. I'm writing this from a jury break room where I've been spending my "business" days with 13 other individuals.
I am one of those people who likes things relatively the same from day-to-day. I enjoy the routine of homeschooling, taking care of housework, spending time with family, and little bits of time in quiet pursuits such as reading and writing.
Even at home our routine has been somewhat different. This week it involves food such as chicken nuggets and frozen pizza before we succumb to the one part of the routine we are determined to keep: our children's bedtime routine. Bath, Bible, stories.
Last night our reading in Matthew contained the passage in which Jesus is praying in the garden of Gethsemane. I began thinking of Jesus' friends. His friends who couldn't even stay awake one hour to watch and pray with him.
It struck me how much Jesus desired this human companionship in this most terrifying time. How we need to know we are not alone. How God asks us to show others they are not alone, when they are struggling, when they are suffering.
It struck me how often He just wants our presence. To just allow Him to be with us in our day. To allow Him to be our friend.
Then it struck me that even though his best friends abandoned him, it did not affect Jesus' love for them one bit. I thought about my own life. How is my own love tank pouring out? Do I let my love for others be influenced by their actions towards me? Sometimes, indeed,yes I do.
Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.
—Proverbs 10:12
When I think of my offenses that Christ has covered by His precious blood, I pray for the grace to cover up the offenses of others.
On the reading front, I've been reading A Hope Undaunted, but I find I have little concentration for books right now. Instead I've been meditating on short passages from the Bible and playing praise music.
I hope everyone's week is going well. Let's remember that God has planned all our "disruptions", as we view them and oftentimes intends to use them for us to learn to love others in the way he desires.
Posted by
Julia M. Reffner
4 comments:
I love this. I'm also a person who likes routine, for each day to be perfectly planned before it comes. There have been many God-planned disruptions in my life, both little ones and big ones that have completely changed my life. But I know that these disruptions have a special purpose in making me into the person God wants me to be. Knowing that helps me to be thankful even when life doesn't always go my way!
Thanks so much for this, it is exactly what I needed to read and be reminded of.
Thank you...
@ Kate, I so know what you mean. I'm the same way about liking things the same. Thank goodness God doesn't let us stay in our box.
@Ruth, Glad it blessed you in some way today.
@Margaret, You're welcome!
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