WASHING DISHES BY HAND

I wrote part of this blog several years ago, but once again I'm in a season where it very much applies. God used a wonderful woman to remind me that it is so easy to get comfortable using the dishwasher. Read more to understand where I am coming from.

In this day and age, we have gotten so complacent with modern technology.  Today, I got a wake-up call as to how far we have come.  Just something as simple as getting clean dishes has really changed.  Now I have a family of seven, so you can imagine my disappointment when my dishwasher decided to make my kitchen an indoor swimming pool. Well, my toddlers probably loved it, but as for me and my husband, it did not sit well.  I mean we have gotten so comfortable with just dropping the dishes, stains and all, into the dishwasher while we go on about our day.  So there I was standing over the sink washing what felt like a never-ending parade of dishes.  I even had the water splatter on the front of my shirt to show that I was kickin it old school.

Now fast forward 8 years later and I am in the same position again. Our dishwasher decided to take a vacation and we are back to using our right and left hand to scrub-a-dub-dub our daily mile-high stack of dishes.

Both times God used this scenario to have me reflect on my prayer life, commitment, and relationship with him.   (I know, right.  If you allow him, the Holy Spirit can teach you something every day in every circumstance and situation.  Learning tools are all around you if you remain teachable, but that another message.) Anyway, back then I was thinking about how I lacked expectancy and was getting comfortable with my Monday night "Wife on Purpose" prayer call. (Shot out to all the ladies I have come across through this ministry. I will forever love you all. )

Now in 2020, I find myself in this season again of getting to acquainted, accustomed, and content with with my relationship with God and the women God connected me with. (S/N: I saw the evidence spilling over into other areas of my life) I found myself at times zipping in and out of my prayer time, dropping prayer requests, praises, and thanksgivings like bombs on God, and treating my time with God like a drive-thru. I was like "thank you, next." I was quickly trying to move on to the next, but never made myself truly available consistently for him to give me direction and a plan. I would place my order and get frustrated when I thought things weren't moving fast enough or felt the wrong thing was given to me. My one on one time with God should not be a quick dash in and out especially not at this stage in my life.

Eight years ago, I reflected on all the "What Ifs". What if I could not make it on the prayer call?  What if I could not make it to church on any given Sunday?  What if I could never get to a bible study?  Then, I began to contemplate the "Do I" and "Would I". Do I truly understand my right to go boldly and confidently to God in prayer? Do I believe that God hears and answers my prayers? Do I understand that he longs to talk with me and share his heart? Would I be willing to stay in his face and not come up until he blesses me with answers and plans? Would I allow my relationship with God to be like the process I went through to wash the dishes by hand?

Would I be willing to allow myself to soak in his presence so he can loosen and expose those areas that are not like him?  Would I allow God to take a brillo pad to my heart and mind because there are some things that have been stuck there since childhood? Would I be willing to allow him to wash me in his Word to clean off all the dirt, grime, and grease from past hurt, disappointments, and my bad decisions? Would I be willing to stay until he saw a reflection of himself in me. WOULD I BE WILLING TO TARRY? The definitions of tarry are 1.a: to delay or be tardy in acting or doing b.: to linger in expectation: wait. 2.: to abide or stay in or at a place.

When was the last time I just stayed in the prayer (presence of God) and delayed moving on to the next thing or lingered expecting God to move?  I literally trained myself to have such a one-sided microwave thinking about my prayer life.  God wants to pour into me, but I wasn't allowing him the moment, the opportunity, or the stillness to speak. My attention was so divided and selfish. To commune with God means not just pour out my heart, but allow myself to be a good listener and let him pour out his.  ( At the end of this blog I have identified several types of listeners.)

So now let me reflect on the COVID19 Pandemic, where my "What ifs" have currently become our new norm. Yes, we have access to online Church from Sunday Service, to Bible Study, to Cliques, to Auxiliaries, but are we setting aside some one on one time with God to be in true relationship, fellowship, communion with him. I want to know God for myself, not know of him from someone else's experience.

So I have decided that I am going to wash dishes by hand.  Will you join me? 

Father, in the name of Jesus, I come to you. First, asking for your forgiveness for not having the proper perspective when it comes to my relationship and time with you. Forgive me for not allowing you to be Lord of my Life so you can have your perfect work in it. Forgive me for my microwave mindset that has me anxious and always rushing to the next thing. Teach me to stop always striving, but to quiet myself, be still, and know that you are God. Teach me how to wait for you and be of good courage. Teach me to sit at your feet and learn, despite all that is calling out to me from the world around me. I speak peace to my heart and mind as I wait on you, Lord. Father, I hear your voice, but show me how to be an attentive listener and not a selective listen. Show me how to make you Lord of my Life, not just of my situations. Teach me how to be content in your loving arms, like a baby who cuddles close to his nurturing mother's heart. Help me to find the joy of just being close to you. Change my vantage point in how I see things. Help me to see and hear those things you have been longing to share. Expose the distraction and activities that no longer fit. Help me to see the rest and perfect peace waiting for me in your presence. God, you already know what tomorrow holds, teach me to enjoy my today with you. Help me to carve out consistently a window of opportunity to spend with you, my heavenly father. Help me to see that you have claimed me as your own and will not abandon or reject me. Let me see your never-ending overwhelming love for me that would cause me to not run from you, but run to you. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN (Psalms 46:10, Psalms 25:1-6, Psalms 27:14, Luke 10:39, John 10:27, Romans 10:17, Psalms 16:11, , Jeremiah 33:3, Isaiah 26:3, 1 John 3:1 Psalms 90:12-17, Psalms 36:7, Romans 8:38-39)

Listen to Indigo - Until You Bless Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm5uiLJFgY0

Listen to Zacardi Cortez - 1 on 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4ZJlhCIlH0

Listen to Marvin Sapp - Draw Me Close to You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDuKb77Vwgc

TYPES OF LISTENERS

There are probably many more, but this is what stuck out to me.

1. The Active Listener - Attentive listener who hangs on to the speakers every word and response physically and verbally to show that they are listening and understand.

2. The Inactive Listener - Present physically, but not present mentally listener. The speakers words flow in and out their ears and they are daydreaming or problem solving in their mind.

3. The Selective Listener - Discriminating listener whose only hears what they expect or want to hear.

4. The Rushed Listener - Sprint listener whose goals is to quickly get to the point. They are superficial, hasty, impatient and only spend the amount of time to get a jest or surface of what is being spoken.

5. The Scared Listener - Alarmed and panic-stricken listener whose circumstances have forced them to be attentive because they want to avoid harm or worry about consequences for not listening to the speaker. They listen from a position of fear.

6. The Thoughtful Listener - Charmed listener whose only desire is to please the speaker and get ther approval, but never fully hears the speaker message

7. The “Uneducated” Listener - Untaught listener who has no clue and does not understand because what the speaker is saying is foreign and does not align with their natural thinking process because they have never opened up the book or researched to understand the topics of the speake's message.