HE SAID - SHE SAID ....April 18, 2008

HE SAID -- The Best Part of Waking Up

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning..., therefore I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion, I will wait for him." - Lamentations 3:22-24

There is a popular jingle that goes, "The best part of waking up, is Folgers in your cup!" The folks at Folgers understand the power of praise, so they sing the accolades of their product. And it works. The aroma of Folgers freshly brewed coffee fills my bedroom each morning, pulling me from the bed. That, plus my dog jumping up and down on her hind legs warning that they'll be something else in my cup if I don't get a move on.

But there are other smells, as well. The scent of my wife after she's showered. The smell of soap and perfume and the sound of the hair dryer as she styles her hair. The freshness of my bride also pulls me into the day.

God does a little tugging, too. The writer of Lamentations tells us that God's love and compassion are new each morning, and I've found that to be true. When I've caught myself in a sin, the beginning of a new day marks the moment I can move beyond the guilt. The failure of yesterday's fall is history. Old news. His portion is rich each day.

And to be honest, the time I spend with Him each morning is the best part of my day. As I open my Bible and read His word, I always find at least one promise, command, or exhortation that directs my eyes on the focus of that day. The pages of my Bible are marked yellow from the ink of highlighters, my devotional journal filled with reassuring scripture of His promises of provision.

The best part of waking up, is God in my life. He has placed a hole in my soul for the rich smell of His love. The aroma of His compassion pulls me up even when life beats me down. If you're dragging this morning, ask yourself this question. What's in your cup?

If it's not Christ then your portion is no better than the burnt scab of yesterday's decaffeinated brew.

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SHE SAID -- PORTIONS

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning..., therefore I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion, I will wait for him." - Lamentations 3:22-24

Portions are hard for me. I mean, I’m a southerner. We love a healthy serving of biscuits and gravy, and it’s just not right if you can’t have seconds. Of course the consequence of over indulgence is the junior plenty backside that follows us where ever we go. There’s nothing like a good plate of southern cooking.

When I passed 45 in a mad rush to 50, it dawned on me what it meant to proportion things. My plate was loaded with over-sized servings. Between my family, job, writing, church, and school, the thin paper plate I was loading down, folded in the middle and “stuff” fell everywhere. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, my stomach stayed in knots, and a looming sadness fell across my heart. The harsh reality of being overwhelmed shadowed me.

Having always been the queen of time management, juggling four growing boys, work, and their school schedules, I thought it would be easy to rearrange the items on the plate –put the heavy items close to my palm and the lighter pieces near my fingers. But it didn’t work. There were too many irons in the fire and none of them were hot. Stepping back was hard, and something I fought against, but I moved away and looked at the mess that had hit the floor, and then grabbed the paper towels. It was time to clean up.

The world pushes us toward exhaustion and frustration by continually shoving huge helpings onto our plates. We are consumed by menial tasks and our sights are moved away from the things that are valuable and important. I took a long look at my plate and realized the one portion I needed seconds in was the Father. Waiting has never been something I’m good at, but I had to learn to wait on Him, and when He came to me the portions were perfect. He allowed me a clean, new plate that was balanced, and my life smoothed.

The Father’s love saves us from consumption and offers us a new start every day. We only have to wait for Him and trust His portions will fill us to overflowing. Is your plate bending in the middle? Let the Father scrape away some of the weight and give you good proportions. He is the balance we need.