Baby Steps

First really warm day – summer side of spring. Do you ever feel like opening all the windows, hauling all the furniture out into the yard and bringing in the water hose? Let ‘er rip! Because spring cleaning should be that way. I get in my mind that I’m ready to wipe down the walls, wash the windows, vacuum the pet hair off the furniture, clean the closets – you get the idea.

And it’s also Monday morning. I face the same thing each Monday. Fresh new week – time to change the sheets, make sure all the laundry’s caught up, plan menus, wet mop the floors, churn the butter, spin the wool, and on and on.

Fresh new season, fresh new week, fresh new day. It really doesn’t matter. Because no matter the circumstance, I will attempt more than I can accomplish. And by noon on Monday, I’m beginning to slow and I look back at what I’ve done and decide I’m ready for a little break. I also begin to realize that I’ll not be able to do what I expected to do on this one day. Discouragement sets in and, if I’m not careful, with that, inertia.

So I’ve learned to take baby steps. I adopted them a long time ago in my writing with the realization that to look at a whole new project is entirely too overwhelming. But if I can simply do these three, tiny tasks…

It works with housework. It works with goal-setting. And it works with my time with God. Because here’s the way that goes:

I’m going to read one chapter in the Old Testament and one in the New. And I’m doing those two Bible studies. And I need to read the book for book group. Oh! And I’ve got those other two books going. I need to memorize scripture but I can’t find that scripture journal and I’m not going to just start learning verses without a plan. And I’ll do all that, but I really shouldn’t start until my house is clean because someone may knock on my door….

And at the end of the day, I may look back and see that I never spent any real time with God. I talk to Him all through the day, but I mean good, real, quiet, quality time alone with Him.

At this point you’re saying, don’t talk to me. You’re retired. Your time is your own and your children are grown. I have responsibilities, small voices calling my name, a long commute, a boss who undermines all my efforts.

But I have an idea. One I plan to use myself. One little verse, first thing every morning – radical thought, maybe even before my coffee. And five minutes alone with a God who adores me and who waits to greet me as I start my day, who wants to shoulder any burdens I may have to carry. Lock yourself in the bathroom and turn on the shower if you need to. Stuff a towel along the bottom of the door so small fingers can’t reach under and plead with you. (Just make sure they’re safe before you go in.)

One baby step toward becoming more like Christ.

Hebrews 12:2, 3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

If you use Igoogle as your home page, there are several gadgets for daily Bible verses. Just search in gadgets for “daily verse”. I like Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day (NIV) because it doesn’t take much room. Only the verse address is there and then you click on a little plus sign to expand and show the text.