God's Best and God's Grace...

We had fully intended to go to church, but around 9:15ish Darrell noticed a vine growing up into an oak tree that had come up volunteer next to the front fence a few years ago. He began pulling the intrusive vine out and I started helping. We have no excuse for what came next. The rose bush beside the driveway inside the picket fence caught our eye; it just looked so leggy and trashy, so Darrell got the pruning shears and started trimming; one thing led to another and before we knew it we were headlong into cleaning out that flower bed. BAM! It was 10:30 and we were both sweaty and dirty from our head down to our grimy little toes. We had somehow, once again, made the choice to not go to church. A cool morning in July (somewhat cool; coolness is relative, isn't it?) makes it easy to work outside rather than wait until the middle of the afternoon. We had a great morning; a prosperous yard morning, but we missed what God had to offer us to feast on at church and I'm sorry for that. I don't feel condemned, but rather that God is quietly and lovingly saying that I have a choice to make; a fork in the road and the potential to form new habits that may not be His best. We have missed so many Sundays for a couple years now for seemingly good reasons; some very good reasons and have even gone to church at times with our kids, but as Darrell and I sat out on the deck this past Sunday morning enjoying the out of doors, the birds singing and a cool breeze blowing; feeling good about the work we had accomplished; I told him that for the first time, I got a glimpse of his mom's way of thinking. Granny always said, "I work six days a week and Sunday is my day off to do what I want around my house and to rest." I see now that I had a very judgmental attitude toward her for that and was nothing more than a self-righteous stumbling block that may have kept me from loving her completely. It would be so easy to not go anywhere on Sundays because I'm tired and want to do anything besides sit in a chair again on my 'day off', but the better thing is to not forsake the fellowship of believers around His throne whether we sit or stand or dance or kneel before Him. I think we'll go to church this next Sunday morning... just because we can. It is not demanded of us and I know God still loves us, but for me, I think I'm missing out and the fog of apathy is falling heavy round my shoulders. Anyway, all that to say, I rejoice in the times when we have had God's blessing to just be together; to feel the freedom to take a break on a Sunday morning, but I pray for discernment and a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit to do God's best and not just what draws my attention and focus in the guise of something good. Such ramblings, but isn't that what a blog is for? To express our thoughts and to then be able to see more clearly why we are given this brief life on earth and to make sense of how to live it? We were made to worship Him and to love each other in the process. I love that about life!