Define It...

In a spelling bee, you are given the word and it is repeated. The contestant has the right to request to, "define it". It helps them get a handle on the word.

This morning, I made my husband a sandwich and poured his coffee and gave him his muffins as he was going to work. I sat with the boys while they played their video game and commented as encouragingly as I knew how and then proceeded to get my "to do" list compiled.

I left the mayo out, so as I was cleaning up the kitchen I picked it up to screw on the lid tighter and it slipped out of my hand and bounced on the floor. I was grateful that it did not look like it was too terribly bad until I felt it all over the front of my clothes and then saw a line that splattered all the way across the kitchen. It was impressive the mess it made. My first desire was to rant about how many sandwiches that could have made and I managed to blow it all over the floor - and myself. And then I thought, "So it's going to be THAT kind of day is it?".

BUZZER

Nope. Can't do that.

I am very into defining things lately. This room needs to be rearranged, my thought process is - "we need to define the space". "What do you want to do there?", "How do you want to live in it?"...etc. I like to ask myself - "What am I, and how do I fit into the equation?" "How do I manage to bring in an income and stay faithful to what I feel God has called me to?"....my quandaries regarding defining things - relationships, job prospects, my marriage, my play time, my - everything - are never ending. But there is a danger in defining some things - I tend to live it out come hell or hight water and that just can't happen. There has to be some flexibility.

Now honestly - defining something is actually quite useful. There are some things you just can't move forward on until it is defined. My issue comes from trying to peg something and then living like that definition is set in stone. This is not productive, especially when it comes to defining my day as one that is bad or one that is good. That is useless.

Psalm 118:24
24This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.


I should never allow a bad thing to define my whole day. The problem with that is that I discount the day. It was a bad day. It was of no use to me. The fact is, that every day is a blessing. It is another day to learn and live to the fullest and to increase our understanding of God. To blow it off as bad is wasteful. And I do not like to be wasteful. Of course I am - which totally and completely frustrates me about myself. But that is a whole other blog to write.

This day is up to me to choose how I will go about it. I will not allow a circumstance or a problem define the entire day. Bad moment - sure. It is better for me to live moment by moment anyway - otherwise I chunk it all and say I will start over tomorrow (which is why I am never successful on my diets).

Joshua 24:15
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

I will choose not only this day - but this moment to serve the Lord, in whatever I do. Mayonnaise on my clothes and the greasy residue accross my floor and up the side of the oven will not cause me to define it as bad and give up on the entire day.

Ephesians 5:15-17
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

I am not guaranteed tomorrow. So I must make the most of this day. So I will no longer allow myself the loop hole of throwing out a whole entire day because something or even some things did not go right.

Now - I will give myself a little wiggle room....because some days are just like that.

But not today. I hope.