I get really frustrated with how I keep our house. I clean and straighten, but there's always cleaning and straightening that doesn't get done. This leads to a lot of frustration -- frustration because I'm afraid that we'll have guests over and they'll judge me for not keeping our home cleaner and frustration that I don't have the house clean enough and pretty enough to suit myself.
Yesterday I felt that maybe the Lord was pointing me toward Matthew 6:33 as a verse to explore to help me get to the root of what's causing my angst. This verse says, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." The surrounding verses tell us not to worry about the physical needs of this world, not to focus on the treasures in this world, but to focus on what God focuses on (His kingdom business) and to focus on living in a manner that pleases Him. Thus I was thinking that maybe the Lord was telling me that the root of my frustration was that my focus has been wrong -- on cleaning my house instead of on His kingdom and living to please Him. Then I think I began thinking too hard or something. I was talking through my thoughts and feelings with God and began thinking that my frustrations were caused by my not trying hard enough - not being diligent enough to accomplish what I want to accomplish around the house. It made a lot of sense to me and I could see how I could definitely make better use of my time and accomplish more.
Thinking I had figured out what my problem was, I began journaling about it. I titled my entry "Actually Doing," and began writing about my "revelation" that my frustration is a result of my not doing enough each day. My thoughts on what the root of my problem was had moved away from Matthew 6:33 -- seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. In the middle of writing, I felt the urge to read the verse at the bottom of the page in my journal to see if it might pertain to what I was journaling about. (The journal I'm using has verses printed at the bottom of each page.) I stared in stunned silence at the words of Matthew 6:33, printed right there before my eyes. Obviously God was saying, "Wait, you missed what I was trying to tell you." As I went back and reconsidered what relevance this verse might have to my frustrations, I came to this conclusion:
Yes, I do need to be diligent in accomplishing my tasks each day,
but I must have the right focus, making sure I've selected
the right tasks for my to-do list for the day.
Cleaning windows has its time and place,
but people and God's kingdom are more important.
I also see this lesson: To know God's will and His voice,
we must read His Word and be aware of the verses
that He puts on our hearts, in our minds, and
at the bottom of journal pages (or wherever He
may choose for you to come across it).
I must also note that Matthew 6:33 turned up the other day in a book I'm reading and in a friend's Facebook post. God's willing to speak to us, but we must be willing to listen and respond.
