Ever been asked to do something you don’t really feel like doing? Something that you don’t have to do — but it would be a good thing to do — and maybe God might like it if you did it — but you just can’t make yourself say yes?
In raising a lot of kids who are now adults, I am always quite amused by the statement “I really don’t have time to (fill in the blank) because I’m too busy.”
More ridiculous words have never been spoken, people? Because you know what they are busy doing? Watching TV…. playing Xbox …. watching YouTube Videos and learning about how the Aztecs really weren’t native Mexicans… they migrated from Wisconsin. THAT is why they are too busy to clean up a mess they made, or give a sibling a ride, or well, pretty much anything else.
But really, don’t we do the same in more sophisticated form? I am too busy to teach Sunday School because on Sunday mornings I need to spend an extra hour in my chair reading a novel?
Based on observing my children’s behavior I have developed a way to make the decision as to whether or not to step into an opportunity to serve God or others. I ask myself, “What would you be doing instead?”
For years, I had a great excuse. I was raising 12 kids. So nobody even asked me to do extra stuff. Grant it, I did do a bunch of things, but I always had something “worthy” that gave me an excuse to be too busy.
Now that they can no longer be my reason, I could easily conclude “I’ve done my part.” But then I ask myself, “what would I be doing instead.”
So when the invitation was made help clean out a building at my work this Saturday I automatically gave myself an out because I hate cleaning. And my back is bad and I won’t be of much help. And my Saturday mornings are pretty full. I write to my mother. I write to my husband’s family. I do the accounts for the boys living here so that they can watch the amount that they owe us go up every week (OK, so that was a bit cynical, but true). I then do the Powerpoint for church. It takes about 2.5 hours to do that stuff. They I typically go out to lunch, and come home and allow myself to sit and watch Netflix or read for the rest of the day.
So before I gave a final no to the opportunity, I thought — you know, I could switch it up. I could go to Rustburg in the morning and do the letters and powerpoint in the afternoon. Because the “instead of serving’ was really about me doing nothing of any meaningful value.
As a child it was drilled into me that as Romans 14:12 says’ Some day I was going to have to give an account of myself to God.” And from that time I have always wanted to hear the words “Well Done, thou good and faithful servant (because I’m pretty sure God is going to use King James when we enter heaven).
I am pretty sure the words, “Well done! You watched every episode of 243 TV shows in your lifetime …. enter into the joy of thy inheritance” aren’t going to be spoken.
So guess where I will be on Saturday morning? You guessed it. And if you are local you can join me!
(By the way, I don’t always make the best choices. That is why it is awesome that God’s mercies are new every day and each day we can make a new start)
https://youtu.be/7yZf1nd1d50
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