Too Much On My To Do List

Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:14-15 (NIV)

As is most often the case, I went into this weekend with a long “To Do” list. I was hosting a baby shower, and though I am usually very prepared for something like that, six hours before the shower was to start, I had done nothing. I managed to get the house clean and food prepared on time and everyone had fun. As soon as the guests left, I had to study a Sunday School lesson to teach the next day. Today, after church, friends invited us to go out for lunch, and then, I got a call from my riding buddy that she wanted to ride this afternoon. I went, but that meant that the glass that I prepared as a gift and was going to fire didn’t get into the kiln and the bills that I really, really needed to pay, didn’t get paid. Upon returning from horseback riding, I saw that I had an hour and a half until we needed to leave for a performance at our local theater. They were having a fundraiser and though I knew it would be enjoyable, I bought the tickets out of obligation. I gambled that in that time, I could fire my glass and pay bills, but, I didn’t count on two things. First, the air temperature was so cold, it took a long time for the kiln to heat. Second, I waited so late in the month to pay my bills on line that one really important bill that must be paid on time or we incur a hefty late fee, would not post until five days after it was due. I felt myself getting agitated in the way that only overfilling my plate can do to me. It is a feeling that starts out deep in my stomach and results in a dread that fills my heart making me physically ill. What to do about the glass? What to do about the bills? What to do about getting ready to go to the theater in less than thirty minutes? The bad thing was that before I turned on the kiln, I felt a warning in my spirit it was not a good choice. I also have known for days that those bills needed to be paid. So, I turned off the kiln mid cycle and so may have ruined that glass piece. I called the number on the bill to pay it by phone paying a $15 service charge instead of a $50.00 late fee. I dressed in record time, and we made it to the theater before the performance’s start. What does all that have to do with the verse above? I make choices all the time and even though God tries to warn me when I am making poor ones, if I don’t listen and obey, I get myself into a lot of trouble. The best choice I can make is to follow Him, and when I do, everything else falls into the right place.