Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A Good Day

Yesterday was one of those.  A very good day.  I slept well the night before, and that always make such a difference for me.  I rested in the morning and about noonish Rob and I got started on a "project".  He was having a good day too!

We are not good about putting papers away.  We had let them pile up for a year.  Yes, a year or more.......  I had no idea where anything was, and while Rob said he knew, I was beginning to doubt that too. 

I had been bothered by the increasing piles on the desk and filing cabinet for months now, but knew that before I could file, the filing cabinet had to be cleaned out.... not a job I could tackle alone.

So, first things first, we purged the filing cabinet.  Much of what we got rid of was old papers from his Dad's things.  But lots of ours too.

Now, room for the new!  So, as we sorted we purged too.  Such a great feeling!  If there wasn't a file for it, I made one.  We organized and put away.  It took hours!  But we could sit for the most part, so that was good too.

We were exhausted when we were done and the tempers were beginning to flare up.  Rob hates change and gets so easily frustrated.  But he did really well for the most part.

And it's done!!!!  Now as I sit here there are not piles of paperwork staring me in the face!!!!!  I love it!

It reminded me of how I keep my mind and heart and soul cluttered and messy.  Days when I wonder where God is, I have to realize that I've got such a mess, that there is very little room for him in me.  I have to purge, file, and clean me too.  How am I spending my time?  What are my thoughts centered on?  Am I listening for His voice?  Can I hear it with all that is going on?  Learning to clean house is difficult for me.  I use "distractions" to keep myself from going crazy.  It's so easy for me to let my mind wander to the point that I'm not really present at all.  It's an easy way for me to shut out the pain and fatigue.  The TV and computer are escapes for me.  I play computer games for hours some days.  But I rationalize that it's better to keep some busy than to just sit when I haven't the energy for anything else.  It makes me feel better.  So, I do it.  I have to remember though, to stop and let God in.  He is with me and I know it, but there are times, that I am sure He gets frustrated with me and my messy self.  So, when I can, I clean up my mess and open the windows and doors and let the "son" shine in.  And it feels good!

Today I pray that you would find a time to visit with Jesus.  Let Him in and see the difference it can make in your life.  Your illness may not be gone, but He will be with you on the journey.

God Bless,
Elaine

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful,Elaine...and so very true. I do the same thing and give God so little of my time. I like what Joyce Meyer says about The Battlefield of the Mind....Thanks for your encouraging comment today and your prayers ~ right back at you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah, the piles!! We have the same piles at our house - literally years of "to be filed" papers piling up and up and up. I'm so jealous! We need a big file day, too. After tomorrow, hopefully, we'll actually be home for a few weeks. Right now, after 4 trips n 2 weeks, our house is just filled with clutter and half-packed bags.

    And you make an excellent point about the clutter in our minds, too. I know I am guilty of that - spending too much time online and having too little quiet time.

    Excellent food for thought!

    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  3. Elaine, you really spoke to me in this post, partly because my desk is piled high these days, and partly because I use a lot of the same "distractions." Sometimes I think I live more in distractions than in the real world and am not really engaged with the present.

    Quakers practice a form of "listening" prayer, and I always used to find that healing, but the last couple of years my mind is just going "blah, blah, blah" all the time. I can't center down into the quiet of God's presence, and so I get frustrated and stop trying. You remind me that God's presence is the same, welcoming and loving, whether I'm listening for it or not. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yay for a good day! I hope you have many more to come.

    ReplyDelete