Give God Your Best
We recently went from having only two children living at home (our oldest son is an adult and has his own house) to having five children living here. It was unexpected, as these things often are for us. We now boast three 15 year olds, a 9 year old, and a 2 year old. The addition has brought a lot of changes. Our 2 year old daughter now has a 9 year old sister sharing a room with her. Our 15 year old son has a brother, and my office is now the bedroom of a teenage girl. Furniture had to be moved. Possessions needed to be sorted through and quite a lot of stuff donated to make room for an extra person in each room. It has been very busy in our home the last few days. Laundry never ends when you have that many people. I start each day making bread because lunch requires an entire loaf. I have not figured out the right amount of food to cook yet. I either make way too much or not quite enough. We will get the hang of it, and it will be a beautiful thing. When night comes though, I am utterly exhausted. I think I snore before my head actually hits the pillow.
Nighttime used to be my time alone with the Lord. It was my favorite part of the day. The house was quiet and calm. Now… not so much. There will be a time of adjustment, but I don’t really think quiet and calm will describe our house for awhile. Maybe rambunctious and fun… certainly loving and a place a healing… but the evenings are no longer quiet, and I am too tired to give God my best after a busy day of endless cleaning and cooking. I could have squeezed Him in to the last half hour of the night. I could have tried earlier in the day and tried not to become too distracted, but that would have been offering God a sacrifice with a blemish. It wouldn’t be perfect. It would be hurried, unfocused, and distracted. It would not have been my best, and God deserves my absolute best. So, as much as I hate mornings, I set my alarm for 5:00 am. The house is perfectly quiet and calm. I can get my bread started and then settle down at my desk with a hot cup of coffee. I thought my spiritual life would suffer, but it has flourished. You see, when we give God our best, He gives us so much more. The last two days, I have actually woken up before my alarm with a smile. What a difference it makes in my day when the first words I speak are words of thanksgiving to my Heavenly Father!
When God laid out the rule that the Israelites could not offer sacrifices that had blemishes or defects, He was not shunning those of us who have disabilities or imperfections. He was giving us yet another picture of heavenly things. What we give to God should be the best we have to offer… the best of our time, the best of our attitudes, the best of our efforts. God deserves more than our sloppy seconds. He demands more than our leftovers and the crumbs of our affection. Being busy is no excuse. We are all busy, and one could argue that God is busy holding the entire universe together. He still makes time for my prayers and the worries that knock on the door of my heart. God gives us His best. Shouldn’t we do the same?
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