[Pearls Ep 131: Monday Motivation.]
We pray it was a great weekend for you and that the week is off to a great start – and come what may that you’re aware of Christ’s nearness to you.
We’re looking at being prepared. Baseline – we want to be prepared in the event the Lord comes calling unexpectedly – space debris crashes through the roof, that Greyhound Bus runs the red light, the latest absurdities of the Federal government cause you to die of laughter, or tears (mortis absurdum). I know, two of those examples are just plain silly.
We also want to be prepared for when Jesus has a job for us to do. When Jesus comes calling we don’t want to put Him on hold, no matter how good our muzak is. We want to be prepared to respond like Abraham who, when the Lord called, answered “Ready!” Or, like our Blessed Mother, who unflinchingly said, “yes” to God’s plan for her motherhood.
Another approach, that you may have tried, is to take the initiative – to ask, “Jesus, what can I do for you today?” I’ve done that on occasion, but it’s been a little while, and not wanting to write this post without having recently put it into practice, I did just that – and with a surprising result that I recount in the postscript.
When we do this, the results will vary, but God always receives our offer. Sometimes the outcome may remain a mystery to us – we won’t know exactly what the mission was, but we will see our day in a new light – because now we see the day, and accepting everything that comes our way, as part of our mission. We have a renewed awareness that when we encounter the day well, we are sanctifying the world – that somehow we are releasing grace that God is putting to use.
Other times God may be a little more explicit and there’s a specific person or intention placed on our heart – I’m going to offer my labors and trials for this specific person in my life (for you Mathew Kelly fans out there, he suggests we break up our workday into ½ or 1-hour blocks and devote each block of labor for a particular person or intention).
And then, on certain occasions, God will truly give us an unexpected mission (as was the case of me last week).
But here’s what we can always count on – our God is never outdone in generosity. When we ask Him for a mission, He will respond – not just with a mission, but a blessing as well.
Blessings to you on your journey with Christ – Steve
Steve and Karen Smith = Interior Life
Postscript: “We’re on a mission from God”
Annie and I weren’t exactly the Blues Brothers, but we were on a mission. Here’s how it came to be:
I didn’t want to send out today’s message without putting it into practice myself. I’ve been somewhat self-absorbed lately and it’s been awhile since I’ve asked the Lord, “Lord, give me a mission. What can I do for you today?”
And so, last Thursday, as I was reflecting on this topic while in the car (around noontime), I prayed, “Lord, please give me a mission this afternoon.” Now, I had my usual afternoon routine planned out of work on Interior Life, and I was expecting that God would maybe insert some unexpected little wrinkle into my afternoon – perhaps a call, a request for assistance, or just placing on my heart someone for whom to offer the afternoon’s labor.
I get home and check in with the girls. We have a nice little lunch. Afterward Kalie cleans up and Annie is going to head out to run some errands. And I go to the basement (aka World Headquarters). I needed to go back upstairs for something and, seeing me return, Annie says, “Oh, are you coming with me?” Spending my afternoon running errands was not part of the plan. Not that it’s ever a hardship to spend time with my lovely daughters (especially with them soon headed back to college), and it’s wonderful to be wanted, but “work has to get done.”
And that’s when the little voice said, “hey dumdum” (my little voice can be acerbic) “there’s your mission.” So I put work aside and headed out with Annie.
Here’s the kicker – as we were about to get into the car Annie says, “we’re on a mission!”
Yes, we were, indeed. It was an outing of “modest errands,” but we had a grand time, including the mandatory side trip for ice cream, and wonderful conversation and companionship all along the way.
As Karen would say to me, “on your dying day, how would you haver rather spent your afternoon?”
Once again, God is very generous – I asked for a mission; He provided an unexpected holiday with my daughter.