Man Vs Woman Preparing For Bed
I’m tired and it’s getting late. I think I’ll go to bed.
Reference: v.1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. (TNIV Bible)
Explore: “A man and a woman were watching TV when the mum said, I’m tired and it’s getting late. I think I’ll go to bed.
She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day’s lunches, took meat out of the freezer for dinner the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.
She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the wash, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the game pieces left on the table and watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.
She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher and counted out some cash for the field trip. The mum then washed her face, put on moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and trimmed her nails.
She put some water into the dog’s dish and called the cat in, then made sure the doors were locked. She looked in on each of the kids, turned out a bedside lamp, hung up a shirt and threw some dirty socks into the hamper.
About that time, the dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular, I’m going to bed… and he did.
Application: While this is a quirky little joke, and all of the mum’s actions were very productive, I know that I can often get easily distracted from fulfilling a task that needs doing. Even when it comes to writing these devotions I can often get distracted by checking Facebook, doing some internet banking then clean up my desk before actually reading a Bible passage. And yet my aim from the start was to write a REAP post. I love that when King Hezekiah came against an enemy he went straight to God. There would have been so much that he could have done – speak to his leaders, gather up the army, protect his family etc – and yet he went straight to the temple to put his concerns before God. Let us not get distracted but stay focused on our task so that we can fulfill our goals with purpose and promptness.
Prayer: Lord, I have never known anyone who does not get distracted and procrastinate. May we not be deterred from Your path Lord but keep our eyes focused upon You. Amen.
What easily distracts you?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.
1 comment:
Oh this devotional hit home with me to the core! I needed to hear this. I work in my home, live alone for the moment. My son is now in college, I’m soon to remarry but my fiance works out of state till May but I still have that innate ‘housewife/mother of the house’ ways. My job can take long hours at the computer and I am as the woman above-what you described it is so me. I have such trouble priortizing my Bible studies, my ‘piddling’ with the house or my desk work or washing all within my strenuous work schedule.
I so needed your advice! I used to be religious with devotionals first thing ever morning. That gets displaced all too often.
Great work you do. Thank you for helping me refocus!