Corona Devo 1790
The other night (while writing), I couldn't think straight!
Our kids were wild: Chattering and laughing and studying(?), and helping each other study. I heard math equations flying around and "tutoring" happening.
Numbers, orders of operations, and heavy thinking pumped out from each of them. There were direct jabs as one person would grow impatient in explaining a concept, and then I could also hear as light bulbs went "on" when someone grasped a concept. And in the middle of it all and over it all, there were giggles, deep belly laughs, and banter, banter, banter amongst the three of them.
I couldn't get a thing done, and I wondered how they were.
I couldn't concentrate, and at first, my pulse rose as I watched the minutes pass...past their bedtimes and mine, with much work left to be done for everyone.
Their conversational dance went on and on...back and forth, and it was loud, silly, and wonderful.
All of a sudden, I realized that this work, mixed with this play, and this loudness and this lateness is what we pray for.
Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest. Proverbs 14:4
This verse speaks of a "clean stable" without oxen,.but the noise, the messes, and the chaos of our today...are life, and all of it makes for a full life.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ~John 10:10
Sometimes we get buried in the day-to-day order of operations, or in the distractions of life, but when we see things with Christ's vision, we see a large harvest.
Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest. Proverbs 14:4
The banter, the giggles, the dispositions and even the arguements of family and friends are love being lived out. Real life is messy sometimes. If a "clean (quiet/pristine/idyllic/unattainable ) stable" is all that we seek, then we are probably missing out on a lot.
Too often, I miss a large harvest because I am too concerned with the cleanliness of my stable or my oxen.
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. (8) Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. (9) Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. (10) Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might... ~Eccesiastes 9:7-10
We would do well to learn a few things from the hearts of children and young adults: sometimes work can be play, and the Lord never meant for us to live our lives and do our jobs without any joy (or messiness).
- Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, (24) since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ~Colossians 3:23-24
- A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. ~Proverbs 17:22
Let's strive less for a clean stable today, and more for an appreciation of our oxen and for the bounties and blessings that God has given us in our lives and in our stables today.
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