Mornings are crazy during the week.
Capital C crazy.
Number one – I never get up in time, which leads to
Number two – The kids never get up in time
to have a peaceful morning of dressings, teeth-brushing, breakfasts, etc.
Never!
Despite all good intentions, the driveway doesn’t usually bid us farewell until we have a mere 11 minutes to get to the first school across town. Whew!
Yesterday I was feeling brave, and decided to do a little laundry duty before heading out the door.
As I worked folding clothes straight from the dryer, over the hum, rattle and roll of the working washing machine, in my good-intentioned efforts to multitask, I asked my 9-year-old son a question. He was in the kitchen scarfing down some cold cereal with milk, and I was at the other end of the house. I did not go to him to ask, I just shouted over the noise, “Do you have your shoes on?”
That’s when, ever so gently, my Savior said to me, “Why do you ask questions when you have no intentions of listening for the answer?”
Whoa! Did I do that, Jesus? Did I ask a question that I really didn’t care to hear the answer to? In my rush to get things done, I had asked simply for the purpose of pointing out something that my son needed to have done before we walked out the door. But you know what? I don’t know what his answer was. It could have been yes, to which much praise should have been responded. It could have been no, to which more encouragement could have been given. Instead, I asked a question and didn’t follow-up or show care. How many times do I do that, Lord, in my everyday? I always say, “How are you?” to those I cross paths with. How often do I really listen to the response? How often do people I ask even give me a response? Lord, how often do I do that to you?
This got me to thinking about all the washing machine noises that go on every day, all day long, that keep me from following through with good-intentioned things. When I pick the kids up from school, and I ask, “How was your day?”, do they know I sincerely want to know how their day was…..or do they think I’m just going through the motions? When I tell a friend I’ve been thinking about them and ask them how I can pray for them, do they take me seriously? Do they see genuine concern in my question? And most importantly, does God know I value His response to my questions?
Today I’m praying for the washing machine noises to be less so that I may be a better listener. I don’t want to be distracted and miss the answers my kids give me, or my co-workers, or my friends from church…..I don’t want to miss anything that my Savior may be telling me. Praise God I heard his voice above that washing machine yesterday!
the toenail 