Who is in charge?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

I apologize for being tardy here on my blog lately. Have you ever had a time in your life where your days are directing you instead of you directing your days? Well, my life has kind of been like that lately. So many chores, lists, projects, studies, etc. that I have been burning the candle at both ends. I am a person who has many diverse interests and I am afraid I have surpassed my quota for being able to serenely balance all of them. As I mentioned in my last blogging, I am getting a handle on things and slowing down and checking things off my list in dramatic style :-) I have worked in my gardens, mowed the acreage, shampooed carpets, worked on my studies and am making an effort at re-organizing my studio/sewing work space (yet again!!!). This past week I did begin doing some crazy piecing for several projects I am starting - a CD pin cushion, a crazy lap chicken, a mini-cq quilt, etc. And, I will gladly show you progress in a couple of days when I have begun to embellish said pieces - seeing my piecing right now would just be slightly more exciting than watching the grass grow, so bear with me until I have added some lovely googah to them.

One of the projects I worked on this week was redecorating the sunday school classroom where my DH and I teach the 7th, 8th and 9th grades. These are such cool kids! One of the girls had a really cute necklace on one day that had all these vivid fun colors and we used that as our inspiration for our room makeover. They chose all the colors and the new name for the room...."The Studio" (since we are all works in progress). Above are the before pictures. The old room was basically done with blue and mauve rag rolled walls above cream beaded board. To spice that up a bit our students decided on a bright turquoise for the upper wall color and white for the woodwork in the room for a cleaner crisp look. We found the bright colored chairs for the students at Wal-Mart, the pink fuzzy rug at Target, and the throw pillows at Pier 1. They wanted curtain beads to hang in our window instead of fabric curtains and I was finally able to find those online and have them ordered - they are hot pink! I am still shopping for the teacher's chairs - as those student's chairs are a bit difficult for this ol' woman to get out of!

The one wall in our room that is brick, we have painted entirely white and then we are adding the student's hand prints in the coordinating colors they picked, along with their signatures. We have had one paint day with the kids and got 90% of it painted - I will just have to go back and finish up the trim work. Doesn't it look great? The door has hand prints as well and will have the name of the class put on it too. The kids are really having fun with it and really have ownership in its wonderful outcome. The high school kids have been caught peering in with envious faces!

So, you can see that I am not always able to get to my sewing projects, but I am always up to something! I will show you pix when I get the curtain beads up and everything finished up :-)

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I want to share with you something I received from a new acquaintance. This is a sweet, simple story, but has such a powerful message.

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said. 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell.

They went to the next room and opened the door.. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, 'I don't understand.

It is simple,' said the Lord. 'It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'

Wow, huh? Did you figure it out before reading the last line? I didn't. It kind of hit me like a wet washcloth in the face - so simple, yet so easy to look past the Godly solution. God created us to fellowship with Him and each other. For love, encouragement, support. It is part of the greatest commandment - after love for God, the Father - to love our neighbor as ourselves. In this busy paced world it is so easy to get frustrated, disillusioned and angry with those around us. It seems people are so focused on their tasks at hand, and themselves, - have you noticed? People stand in the middle of the grocery isle seemingly lost in thought forgetting there are people who need to get by; as they drive to and fro, they are in such a hurry they cut you off in traffic or won't let you merge in front of them; they look tired and as if they lack joy in their lives as they struggle to get through each day. Do you notice them? People who just need a little love? Have you just simply said "hello" or given them an encouraging smile? Have you helped a person reach that box of cereal off the top shelf at the grocery store; let someone with fewer items go ahead of you; simply thank those you come in contact with who are standing on their feet all day behind cashier counters? Or, hold a simple conversation with a lonely person, or just listen? Hold a door open? Make a caring phone call? There are so many simple things we can do each and every day to show Christian love to our neighbors. And, the more we practice, the more a part of our daily life it becomes - joyfully. Yes, I guess it is sort of taking a risk, you might be ignored or even ridiculed some time, but that is OK because we are not responsible for the heart of others - just spreading God's love which we are growing in our own hearts....God will do the rest, be confident in that and find the joy that is waiting in His love and the strength to reach out to others.
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2 comments:

Kathy Raker said...

Hope all is ok, missing your posts and devotionals.

Susan said...

Great story. One of my favorites. I first heard it as a Vietnamese folktale many years ago, with slight variations. =)

 
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