I am afraid the most I will see of my husband tonight is his long legs in these holey jeans sticking out of our attic. After a long day of work he has to come home to prepare our attic for a bug bomb like no other. It is an urgent issue. One of those tasks that you don't want to do but somehow it has bumped itself up to the top of the list.
You know the list that looks like this:
.
Putting a border around our garden because although we are happy for
healthy grass, we actually wanted garden beds as well. The grass is
fighting for more space..
Here is the beginnings of a playset we inherited on Saturday. It will probably lay in our backyard for at least a year as many other things are more pressing.
How about the flower box my man made for me. I robbed it of it's soil and now it has become a storage facility. I need to get more dirt in that thing! It is asking me for flowers... for beauty. Or the three empty whiskey barrels that are just waiting for sweet potatoes to begin their 5 months of growth.
The thing about real life is that it is almost always unexpected and the thing that takes the most time is the thing you didn't even want to do in the first place. The whole thing can be disheartening and frustrating. Do you ever feel like you look at that long list of projects and wonder if you will ever have a fun day on the greenway watching your little one ride his bike? My husband said today in his frustration that we should just sell the house, what will we have accomplished at the end of our lives.. that we maintained our home? Of course that is when I began to panic (I love my garden), but the truth is that Jeff has a good point.
We spend so much time on our list of things to do that we have nothing left for the more important investment of who to be, and who to love, and who to bless. We spend little time abiding in Jesus because our list makes us get work done. We do what seems urgent and leave the important stuff for later... Sometimes later never comes.
So what is the answer? All I can think is that precious verse that has so informed my life. Matthew 6the Message
30-33 “If
God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which
are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in
you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to
relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.
People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things,
but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality,
God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll
find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34 “Give
your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get
worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you
deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
The list begins to overwhelm us when we forget that God gives us everything we need for the moment. He gives us all the grace we need for today. When I stop to breathe in the life of God I find that I can breathe again. I can hope, I can rest. I don't feel so weighted down by the long list of projects and obligations.
When I take that moment to remember my pursuing saviour my heart starts growing again. I have beautiful peppers, tomatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, mints, and more all all growing in my garden and in pots around my house. I planted them in fertile soil, but God has been making them grow. 
Let your life be planted in the fertile soil of God's presence and Word. He will bring the increase. He will give you grace to follow Him today. It may be in the attic with holey jeans, but it may just be in a comfy chair in His word, or laughing at the pool with your sweet children. Today, God has given you what you need for today.
