This evening I took a vacuum to my shabby gray rug and decided to write about it. Let me describe to you in detail the order of events. First, I plugged it in. Then, I turned it on. Ok, I am only kidding. I will save you from boredom and fast forward to the part where I decided to clean it out! I noticed after shaking the filter a few times over the trash can, that it was not entirely clean. So, I removed the filter from the contraption holding it in place, peeled away left-overs we had the night before (Jaden is a messy eater), and then swiftly attempted to replace it back into its rightful compartment. After some tarrying, I realized it wouldn't budge. This filter had a mind of its own, I tell you, and at the present moment it decided to take the night off! As I tried one more time to snap it back into place, it flung from my fingertips and hit the pristine white floors I cleaned earlier today. Whatever I missed in that filter just laid there before me in what seemed to be a trash heap of decomposed cheerio particles and hair...long story. Anyway, I dropped down to my knees to clean it up, using a dust pan and a sheet of brawny paper towels. The eyes of that lumberjack with the flannel shirt and weird comb-over smiled at me almost mockingly as if to say, "You've got your work cut out for you, dont you? Good thing you've got Brawny paper towels!" Frustration swelled up within me, but as I settled into the moment, I glanced down and realized that the succession of events that just transpired was God's way of getting me right where He wanted me. I was on my knees and in an attitude of prayer. If I would have just accepted His invitation earlier today, I wouldn't have had to hit the floor before looking up.
This scenario reminds me that sometimes we go through life missing out on sweet invitations the Lord signs, seals, and delivers right to us, hoping we would accept. We may neglect Him, forget to R.S.V.P, or hit the snooze button until our fingers ache, but let me remind you, brothers and sisters, He is also a God that waits for no man. He may nudge us a few times as friendly reminders, but I implore you to be no farther than an ear's shot of His call. For when we become so consumed with our routine, pride steps in and will pull the rug right out from under us. A person who is proud believes that he or she has got it figured out. They don't need to be down on their knees because they've esteemed themselves much higher than that. But, there is something called gravity, that will bring us back down to reality. Proverbs 16:18 states, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." God will let us hit rock bottom because it is there He has our full attention. We have nowhere else to look, but up! "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, who will bring me down to the ground? Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,' says the Lord." (Obadiah 1:3-4) This scripture reminds us that He can and will force us down to our knees if He has to! There is good news, however, if we choose to be receptive. We can make a choice today to live out a routine of prayer, making ourselves an altar before God, on our knees and on our face, offering up our praises, prayers, and petitions. This is how we commune with our Father.
As a dutiful daugher, I plan on accepting the invitation to spend quality time with my Papa every chance I get. He desires more from us than just being the Sunday morning church-goer. Let's be daring and live beyond the routine as the bold generation God has created us to be! Remember, we are prayer warriors for His kingdom. Now is the time to start acting like it! I know I need to! I pray you do the same.
God bless you, brothers and sisters....
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