At the Foot of the Tree

Tis the season for pollen, rain, and lawn mowing. Instead of cleaning my house today (again), I found myself needing to mow the yard. I am very grateful for our riding mower, but it isn't working so I called a friend to borrow his. With all the rain, it's looking pretty wild. With more rain in the forecast, I decided I better do what I can while I can. I was working on the left hand side of the front yard. It isn't exactly a rectangle- more of a five-sided polygon. As I had made a few rounds, I found myself getting exhausted. This is probably due to the fact that I'm just paying the gym to help out on their light bill, and not actually finding the time to go and help myself.

We have two magnolia trees in the middle of our front yard, and as I kept on my little path, I found myself thinking, "If I can just make it to the tree, I will be ok." When I came upon the right-hand side of the tree, my path veered off further to the right - that fifth side of the polygon. Then, coming on around to the other side, the more I mowed, the closer I would get to the tree. 

I began to relate this to my life. When I know that I am closer to the tree, or the cross, I have the strength to go on. But then, I come upon that right side again, and it takes me on a path of my own choosing that leads me away from the cross. Over, and over again, this is the case. I choose to go that way, when I could just stay in a straight-lined road that continually only draws me nearer to the cross. 
It's not a perfect road. I can look behind and see where I swerved some, came upon some bumps and sticks in the road, but I am constantly getting closer and closer to the tree.

By the time I did finish mowing that section, had I stayed on the straight path, my end would have come right up to the foot of the tree. Still, I did finish there, under the shade of that which had been my focus and goal.
When I came in the house- hot, tired, worn and weary- at first I felt sick at my stomach. I opened the cabinet and pulled out the garbage can, then went down to my knees, feeling like I was going to get sick. The moment passed, and then I got a drink of water to quench the thirst. 

When we finally come face to face with the cross, several things happen. At first, we may feel comfort and rest, knowing that peace is there. But then, as we  stop there in its shadow, we feel the effects that exhaustion brings because we stepped out of the straight path that God had for us, which led us down a way He did not intend for us to go. We can be led back around to the cross where our sin-sickness causes us to come to our knees, and we thirst for a taste of Living Water.

Oh, may I only desire to drink from the Fountain of Living Water.
Oh, may I ever be sick over my sin.
Oh, may I always long to be at the foot of the tree.

Spring Cleaning

With the flu and stomach virus germs recently in our house, I found myself cleaning away while home with Presley last week. Windows were raised, hoping to let the fresh air in and the old, stale air out. I did the general cleaning at first - bathrooms, bedrooms, washing sheets, kitchen, appliances, dusting, sweeping, mopping. I cleared away some clutter that had been on the table for a while. Overall, the house looked pretty good and if someone would have come over, they would have probably thought so too, at first glance. Then the "spring cleaning" fever hit. I quickly noticed that what had appeared clean with just a walkthrough was actually dirtied with fingerprinted door frames and baseboard dust-bunnies. As I began to wipe and wash, I was led around on my knees, wall after wall, trying to wipe away the grit and grime. Mr. Clean could have helped me out with one of his "Magic Erasers!" Several spots would not come off, and really just need to be covered with a fresh coat of paint.

Sometimes I think I do a pretty fair job of cleaning up the dirt in my life. I walk around looking spiffy and shiny, when I should take a closer look. I would see the handprints of hurts and the stains of sin that go undetected on the frames of my heart sometimes. Instead, I get use to the "clean" me, or what I think is clean. What's really there goes unnoticed by not only myself but also others.

When I am wanting to thoroughly clean my house, I have to get down on my knees to get all those places that are hard for me and others to see. An open door that I never look behind will gather dust within a few days. It then begins to collect there. The same is true in my life. If I do not regularly go to those places of my heart, daily cleaning and confessing, the "dust" will accumulate. 

As I was vacuuming a rug tonight using the attachments, I found myself on my knees. I was reminded of my cleaning last week- funny how in less than a week there I was again. It actually could be done everyday. Yes, I could have just run the vacuum over the whole rug, but I wanted it to be really clean. 

I am not saying that we have to be on our knees in order for our confession to be sincere. However, I know that many times I have laid in bed, voicing my "bedtime" prayers, and end up falling asleep. Or I may be driving down the road and say a prayer, and then get sidetracked but feel "good" that I prayed at all. But in those moments, which I have to admit do not come often enough, that I have found myself on my knees, my heart is humbled and I am brought face to face with the dirt and filth in my life. It is there that I realize the stains can't come off with my own doing. It is only by being covered by the blood of Christ that my heart is made new. I must daily confess so that He is able to clean away the dust so that it does not collect upon my heart. 


James 4:7-10 - The Message

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.

Blue-Ticked Off- Part 2

As I saw these things in our beloved pet, I saw more things in myself that I really didn't want to see. 

Over and over again, I find myself getting agitated over having to CONSTANTLY  reprimand him for things- usually the SAME things over and over again. Jumping up on the counter, getting on "my" couch, biting on chairs, pulling socks out of the laundry basket, taking our shoes to his corner to chew on, licking me, jumping up on me. "Stop!" or "Quit!" is probably one word he hears most often.

It's the same at school most days. I find myself saying all the time now, "We've been in school ___ days. You should know by now to get your spoon when you go through the line. You should know by now how to walk in a straight line. You did this everyday in kindergarten; we've done this for 146 days now in first grade; you should know how to act. I should not have to keep telling you this."
As soon as I say those words, (every time I say them), I always hear the Lord saying to me: "Jennifer, I've been trying to teach you these things for 38 years; you've been walking with me for 16 of them; you should know this by now." Yet, over and over again, I find myself thinking those same thoughts, doing those same things, practicing those same bad habits. Just as my kids, just like Major, you think I would have learned to obey by now.

Another thing I've noticed about Major, the same dog who loves water so much, also loves the garbage. He's figured out where our trash can is and that sometimes we throw scraps in it. Of course, not only scraps but tons of other stuff that serves no purpose really and needs to be thrown out. If we let him, he would pull everything he could out of the trash, and eat most of it. He also has found our little trash can that sits by the computer desk. Usually it just has paper or plastics in it- but it's still garbage. On several occasions, he has even taken the can to his corner, and just chewed on it, thinking that would be comfort enough, if he can't have the "real" trashcan. 

How am I like this? Well, it seems pretty obvious. A verse comes to mind that talks about blessing and cursing coming from the same lips. Sometimes I find myself digging in the trash of what I've already thrown away- a grudge, a jealousy, a past sin that I know God has forgiven. Chewing on the "can" of thoughts, just enough to satisfy me for the time-being.

Obey. Water. Satisfy.

I will only be satisfied when I stop digging in the trash and learn that it is the Living Water that I must thirst for.

Blue-Ticked Off- Part 1

Last week, one of our vocabulary words was "enough." One of my kiddos, who is a dog lover, had a sentence on her test that said "I have had enough of my dog." Well, I feel the same, but I am no dog lover. Major Payne Marshall, (it had to have a "P" name), is named well. Although a Blue Tick Hound probably should be an outside dog, which I hope he is soon, he has been inside since we got him after Christmas. To his defense, he has recently gotten better with the potty training that he was lucky to survive. But tonight, like most nights, we spend much of our time saying, "NO!" and "Get down," along with beating him with a newspaper! I'm constantly cleaning up something he's torn up and sweeping up dog hair. Before, it was cleaning up other "messes" he made because he wouldn't let us know he needed to go out.  Needless to say, I've had  about all the dog I want.
However, I've learned a few things from ole' Major. 
In the first "training days," there were several days of rain. Seems like Jason was gone some of those days, and I ended being the one taking him out! (He probably was gone one day, it just felt like a week!) But, taking a dog out to pee in the rain, is like taking a child to a candy store and telling them not to touch anything. I'm trying to get the dog to go to the bathroom, while all he does is drink more water.......so then he can pee in the floor again when I bring him back in! If it was frosty, he's licking it off the grass.
I noticed when I would turn on the kitchen sink, he would go crazy. If he got a hold of a wet cloth, he was trying to lick the water out of it. Moisture on the side of a cup? You better not leave it out, or he'd lick it clean. 
Forget walking him by the ditch or giving him a bath. He would even run back to the bathroom when he got the chance, with the hope that there would be water in the tub.
Water, water everywhere!
He was drawn to the water, in whatever form it was in.

I saw very quickly a picture of how I should be. Am I that drawn to the Living Water? Do I look for the Water everywhere I go? 
Once Major had a taste of water, he longed for it. He knew what it sounded like, as he'd run to the sink. He knew what it felt like, what it smelled like, what it did to quench his thirst.
Once we have had a drink of the Living Water, we will never forget. We may try to substitute it with something else. We may try some "drinks" with artificial ingredients, but it's just not the same. We may try to add something to our water to give it some "flavor." We may sample fancy supplements like lattes and cappuccinos, trying to make ourselves feel better about our thirsts, hoping that does the trick. But we never forget how refreshing and satisfying pure Water is.

John 4:13-14 -
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 


Revelation 22:17-

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.