Cleaning Day

Weekends seem to often be an extra challenge for me. Carol and I often did special things together then, and frankly I just am not as motivated to do things alone now. I have to give myself a little nudge to get moving.

It was just two months ago yesterday that I drove Carol home from attending Justin and Laura’s wedding in Michigan. We had picked up our conversion van at the lake house and it has sat idly by here ever since. It had a bit of dust accumulation when we picked it up after being stored for eight months, and the trip added more accumulation of dirt. So today I gave it a complete wash job and waxed it along with doing some house cleaning.

I listened to several radio programs, one of which was a lady telling about how the Lord had healed her very serious case of pancreatic cancer. For a quick moment I wanted to ask: Why not Carol? But then I realized that Carol is the one that is really healed! I thanked God for that healing and for the healing that He is providing for me also. It is a huge adjustment, but God is filling that void in most amazing ways, often using His people to encourage me. Just a few moments ago, a neighbor boy dropped off a hot meal for me that his mother had just prepared. Yes, it is difficult, but I am blessed!

Last night was not one of my better nights for sleep. I awoke at 2:00 am and read for two or three hours. My mind keeps going back to the leaders that followed one after the other in the book of 2 Chronicles. Several started well, but then power and success seemed to turn their trust in God to trusting their own or others abilities, and they made some dreadful mistakes. Some repented, asked God’s forgiveness, made an about turn with their lives and finished their lives well. Others lives in the end were a disaster. Earlier in the book, the Lord made it clear what He expected when he responded to Solomon’s prayer in 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin…”

Lord thank you for the opportunities to humbly seek your face as I continue down this road of life. Keep me sensitive to, and repentant of each sin that creeps into my life. May my life be used to glorify you!

I am looking forward to meeting tomorrow with our wonderful class and teacher Tom as we learn more about identifying “respectable sins” that can creep into our lives.

Have a blessed weekend!

Love,

Chuck