What is A Typical Day?

Tuesday, September 17, 2013. 58 degrees F, slight breeze, blue sky to the north and clouds to the south. It is a typical day in the Pacific Northwest as far as the weather goes. Will it be a typical "do what I want to do when I want to do it like I've always done it" type of day in my personal life? That is the question for today.

That question has been running through my mind ever since I looked out my bedroom door at my new steps this morning. Here is where I am coming from. I have double French doors leading from my bedroom into the back section of my property. That exit provides the closest access to my apple trees. Just around the corner is a quiet sitting area that used to contain my hot tub. It is the quickest path to change sprinklers on the back lawn. But, for the past umpteen years I have not used those doors because the steps had rotted away and been hauled off.

Rot is a big problem around here. The old steps had been built of untreated lumber and were sitting directly on the ground. So, with the deadly mixture of 70 inches of rain a year and constantly wet soil, my wooden, untreated steps were gone.

Admitting that apples have fallen to the ground, warm days in a lounge chair have not been enjoyed, and grass, trees and shrubs have gone unwatered because of non-existing steps is a travesty. My excuse is the lack of steps. The truth is laziness. I haven't wanted to walk all the way around the house to pick, laze, or water.

Last weekend my son removed all my excuses by building new steps for me. Every piece of wood used in the construction is pressure treated against moisture. Those beautiful steps should last a lifetime.

I am excited about how convenient they are, the opportunities they present, and the easy access to the outdoors they provide. There are new arena's to enjoy. I really don't want to miss out, but it will take work on my part. I will have to press beyond my old typical day. If I never set foot on them, they are worth nothing. If they don't bring about a change in my daily living, my son's hours of labor were for naught.

Now, let's go back to the question about a typical day. At one time, I might have considered my typical day as living in a rut--doing the same old-same old, accomplishing nothing. I was living in excuses as well as in semi-seclusion. That was all because I had let the steps of my heart which led to the outside world develop rot and become, as I saw them,  unusable. Anger, hurt, fear, distrust, and who-knows-what-else slowly ate away at everything I had once held dear. Thankfully, those steps had not completely rotted away before I recognized the problem and the fact that they needed replacing.

I have new steps now. Through prayer, therapy, support of family, and the work of the Master Carpenter the steps going from my heart to those around me are pressure treated and will stand up under the most severe conditions. All I have to do is use them. But, if nothing changes, if today's "typical" is the same as last year's "typical", God's work on my life-steps was for naught.

So, how is today's typical day different from five years ago? I have gone from treatment in the ICU of my mind with the Great Physician, to discovery of and replacement of rotten steps, to stepping tentatively onto a steady footing with the Lord, and into the awaiting world.

As I was writing the previous paragraph and thanking the Lord for all he has done, these verse kept coming to mind. Is this what a typical day with the Lord looks like?

"In all your ways acknowledge Him. And He shall direct your path."  Proverbs 3:6

"He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

Lord, I know I am not immune to rot and decay. My rotting steps were clear evidence of that. As for my foundation, I think it is in good shape, but only you know for sure. I want to recognize any rot or other situations that weaken who I am or my relationship with you. Show me the bad that needs fixing, the rot that needs to be torn out, and strengthen me to undergo reconstruction no matter how painful it might be. 

I desire to love you with all I have and all I am. May I acknowledging You in all things (the good and the bad). Help me walk the path You have shown me as well as see the good You point out along the way. Let me act justly and with mercy toward all I meet and in all I say. May I love my neighbor as myself. And Lord, please remove any pride I have so that I may walk humbly with You.  Amen

Wanting the Lord's typical day, not mine,
Jan