“Semester finals are Friday, and I really need your prayers,” a fellow church member stated. I had heard similar prayer requests from other members. Each time I thought,
You need to study, not pray. As far back as elementary school, learning came easy to me. I had difficulty understanding why others struggled with what I perceived to be simple assignments.
They don’t apply themselves, I surmised.
I had recently completed my master’s degree in education with high marks. The only thing standing between myself and a substantial pay raise was the successful completion of my master’s final exam which I was scheduled to complete in a couple of weeks. And of course, I saw that as no problem.
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV).
Responsibility and accountability aren’t the most popular words in our vocabulary, are they? Yet each of us has a responsibility for the part we play in all kinds of things from family to work to civil duties. And God not only cares about these things, the Bible is clear, we will be held accountable for the decisions we make in this life.
“Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God” (Romans 14:12 NLT).
As a little girl I loved Easter. What’s not to love? My sister and I always got a new “Easter outfit” which included a frilly dress of our choosing, lacy socks, shiny new patent leather mary janes, a hat and even little white gloves. No, I’m not nearing 80, that’s just the way my mom wanted to do things.
Coloring enough eggs to exhaust a barnyard of chickens, we were artistic geniuses. The night before the big day we’d be filled with butterflies of anticipation for the beautiful, loaded basket that giant rabbit would drop off in exchange for the large carrot left as an offering of gratitude . and yes, we believed!
My husband has always been one to get up early. But me, I would always say I wasn’t a morning or a night person I was a day person.
However, when God impressed on my heart to write a book, we had three small children at the time and since I fell into bed exhausted every night, I discovered the best alone time was early before my kids got up. At first, it was a big challenge. But on lazy mornings when my body was talking very loudly to me, my spirit would say, “You know how much you love this time with God…”, and it was true, so against my body’s wishes, I would pull myself out of bed and straight to the coffee pot.
The dullest pencil . remembers better than the sharpest mind. My co-worker, and friend, Ted Cramer, says that all the time, and it is very true. We all like to think we can remember whatever it is we are supposed to remember without having to write it down. If we are honest with ourselves, we know better than that.
I have made enough trips to the grocery store at this point in my life to know that if I go, I better write down everything I need to pick up. Having a written list saves the embarrassment of needing to call my wife before I get in the checkout line to make sure I got everything, because I know I missed something (I hate that). Having a list is also the only absolutely, positively, 100% way to be sure I won t have to make a second trip (I really hate that). And so, I write things down because my forgetter works a whole lot better than my rememberer does.