Our moderator/superintendent at church has been challenging us to look for the appointments God has set up for us during the week, those chance meetings, the few words exchanged with strangers, the “coincidences” that come up in the course of the days.
I thought to myself, “I have been inside my house or on our property this whole week, with the exception of a short jaunt to Save a Lot. All week. How would I have appointments with other people?” I didn’t even get to talk with anybody after church because the service ended later than usual and then it was time to scoot off home so Gabe could go to work.
But I had assignments. Oh did I ever. “Feed the hungry.” I did that a number of times. “Pay attention to the needy.” (I even wiped their bottoms.) “As much as is possible, live in peace…” You wouldn’t want to know the kinds of battles that break out when all the little people are housebound for long stretches of time. “Be kindly affectioned.” I wonder if that would include not yelling when they wash the lettuce with Palmolive while I am doing laundry downstairs.
What do you think? Are assignments as important as appointments?
wocket in my pocket 
I think they might even be more important then appointments. We are ladders. We are the whole ladders. Appointments are just one rung of a ladder. But to our children we are THE ladder. I am so grateful that I get to be a ladder, but being a ladder means one gets stepped on so often, Oh spring spring where art thou *I moan*
The ladder analogy is a very good visual. 🙂
He,he.he…washing lettuce with palmolive… love how you stick that in there so innocently… Sometimes I think I nearly close my ears to challenges like the one above, because I’ve become so convinced of the high calling of a mama, not saying we use that as an excuse to reaching out. (And I think most times people in the pulpit laying out those challenges, are not thinking of moms of littles.There are seasons in our lives!) I often pray that if God has someone he wants me to reach out to, that he would bring them to my door or that I would basically run into them and its amazing how he has done that.
Me too Rhonda!
Yes. Life doesn’t stop while we nourish children. Life is like leaven all through us, and that is what we want the world to sense when we do brush shoulders with others in the rare instances when we do get out. 🙂 The problem arises when we think life has stopped, or is passing us by, or whatever… (They really did wash the lettuce with soap. And I got a little high-pitched about it, then I stopped and thought there really was no point.)