Yesterday I noticed that my trash can is desperately in need of cleaning. It’s white, so it shows everything, and it doesn’t take very long before it begins to look dingy and disgusting.

As I began to think about my to-do list for the day, my mind immediately went to cleaning the trash can. Ewww! Did I mention that I strongly dislike that job? Can I get an Amen?

Not particularly glamorous cleaning the trash can, but necessary nonetheless.

I wonder how many people will wake up today feeling that the tasks ahead of them are not only less than glamorous, but would even be considered menial. As I considered this, God brought Colossians 3:23-24 to my mind. “23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Will anyone see me clean my trash can today? Probably not. Will they notice that it is clean? Maybe. Maybe not. But God will see, and God will notice. To Him, no task is too small, no job too menial.

It is often the small and seemingly insignificant tasks that make the most difference.

As you go about your day today, know that God notices and cares about what you are doing. Work at it with all your heart for it is Him you are serving.

Serving with you,

In the past two weeks, I have replaced the motors in my upstairs and downstairs heating/air-conditioning units (at different times), my hot water heater, the expansion tank for the hot water heater (also at different times), and discovered a leak on the ceiling of my master bedroom. This last one was discovered just this morning. The source is yet unknown.

Back in the spring, my husband said we really needed to have someone come out to drain and flush the hot water heater because we had not had that done since moving into our house. Of course, who to call, a plumber, right? I knew that much, but randomly picking one out of the Yellow Pages, well www.yp.com, actually, didn’t really seem like the best plan. So, what did I do? I asked for recommendations from friends and family and received one for whom, as it turns out, I am now on a first-name basis. It was the same scenario when I needed to have repair work done on my HVAC system. I am now on a first-name basis with him as well. I am thinking I should add them both to my Christmas card list. :0)

But who do I call when I am broken and in need of repair? I should not need a recommendation. I know the Master Physician Himself, and, more importantly, He knows me. He “made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13 NLT) He “saw me before I was born.” (Psalm 139:16 NLT) He IS Jehovah Rapha – The Lord that heals.

There is no repair of which I might find myself in need, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, that is out of His control. I cannot misplace His phone number. I do not ever have to worry about getting voicemail. He will never tell me that He is unable to speak to me right now or that I will have to wait for Him to order the part. He is available to me 24/7.

The repair may not be instantaneous, but I can trust that He will be with me while I wait. I know this because He tells me in His Word in Hebrews 13:5, “…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

It is enough.

Blessings,

Have you ever seen the movie True Lies? I saw it again a few months back after not having watched the movie in years. If you have seen it, you might recall one scene where Jamie Lee Curtis’ character does a rather racy dance for her husband, although she doesn’t know it’s her husband.

Yesterday, I was sitting in the rocking chair in my bedroom talking to God. I was just praying away, and, all of a sudden, this scene from True Lies flashed into my head. My first thought was, “Ewwww…you don’t belong here. Go away! I’m trying to have some time with God.”

It was in that moment that my thoughts simply froze. I began to consider what I had just been thinking. The next thought that came into my mind was if I didn’t think that scene belonged in my head while I was talking to God, then that bore the question of whether or not it belonged in my head at all.

I don’t think that True Lies is a particularly bad movie, but this experience caused me to stop and think about the things with which I am filling my mind. The truth is, it is easy to get desensitized to the things of this world.

My daughter and I recently had a conversation about the TV show Cake Boss on TLC. We would record and watch it periodically, but after an episode last week, I told her we would not be watching it anymore because there was too much foul language in it. You wouldn’t expect this from a TV show about making cakes for crying out loud, but, sadly, that is the way it is.

She asked me why they allowed that on TV, and I told her I really didn’t know. I shared with her about how when I was growing up, you didn’t hear cursing on TV at all. Normal television shows were then not allowed to use curse words, and movies that were shown that contained them were bleeped out or dubbed over.

What is this? Desensitization. A gradual acceptance of lower standards. It is insidious, actually, but it is the way of the enemy. He doesn’t hit us with big changes all at once. A movie here, a TV show there. First, we only look for a few seconds. Then, next time, maybe a minute. Then, a few minutes, and before we know it, our standards have lowered. We have become more accepting, and we are not even aware that anything has happened.

I am not pointing any fingers here. I would be the first to say I know I am guilty.

For now, I think I need to go find my rocking chair and talk with God some more. I need to ask Him what I have allowed into my life that should not be there.

Blessings,