Just a few minutes ago, I watched the biggest spider I have seen in a long time crawl up the inside of the lace curtains which hang from the window in the front of our lounge, which lies directly in front of this computer I am writing this on. In fact I can still see him, tucked away in one of the folds near the very top of them even now . . . spiders seem to be taking a bit over my life at the moment.
Yesterday as we went to get into the car to go grocery shopping . . . there was one which had obviously spent the whole evening prior building a beautiful web which stretched from the drying flower heads on the hydrangea in front of the house over to the rear view mirror on the passenger side of our car. He was sitting in the midst of it, for all the world looking like a glorious King . . . master of his domain . . . when we went out. I dashed into the house to grab my camera, seeing a magnificent photo opportunity . . . but as I arrive back at the car, breathless . . . he saw me coming and made a quick getaway to hide himself beneath a leaf on the hydrangea . . . another photo opportunity missed . . .
You don't have to return to a neglected or vacated house to find cobwebs . . . spiders are busy all the time. After all, they have far more free time than we do, and most of that time is spent building their little houses . . . lairs for the unsuspecting.
I often go on cobweb duty . . . at least every two weeks or so, and I am always amazed at the diligence of these little creatures and the building of these beautiful gossamer creations. I hate to destroy them, but I must . . . the other day as I was sweeping my broom across the ceiling in the dining area here downstairs, it suddenly occured to me that it might be a good idea to start sweeping a few cobwebs from my life as well . . . clearing my vision to the beauty of God's world which He has so kindly given me.
Live can be endlessly filled with cobwebs . . . ignorance, stubbornness, temper, procrastination, neglect, laziness, impatience, exasperation . . . I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the picture.
Does the cobweb of ignorance prevent you from being able to enjoy the great achievements of man?? Does it make you accept less than your due here on planet earth . . . simply because you cannot or do not want to understand the scriptures . . . because you ignore their call on your spirit??
Do you stand and drink in the beauty of a sunset, allowing it to stir your deepest yearnings and appreciations . . . do you close your eyes and your heart to the beauty of every day moments . . . or do you impatiently dwell only on the passage of time, and late appointments??
Do you joyfully appreciate your son's first ever football goal scored . . . or do you give in to the shackles of stubbornness and insist that he wipe his muddy shoes first . . . and spoil what could have otherwise been a beautiful moment shared???
How about that lonely neighbour that you vowed in your heart to cheer up from time to time, to visit, to call . . . has the cobweb of procrastination kept you from your promise . . . you have too much to do and too little time, there's shopping, cleaning, your favourite television program . . . etc. Time keeps passing by and it never gets done.
Then there is the lesson you were supposed to teach at church . . . have you been able to do this with inspiration, or has your vision been clouded by the cobwebs of neglect and lack of preparation???
When your partner looks for all the world as if he is carrying a problem on his shoulders . . . do you draw him out to see if there is something you can do to help . . . anything . .. or do you let your cobweb of impatience for getting household things done interfere???
Cobwebs . . . we don't have to look very far to find them. They're all around us. Isn't it about time we swept them away . . . replaced the cobweb of temper with control, the cobweb of procrastination with action, stubbornness with consideration for others, neglect with interest, impatience with patience, laziness with activity and exasperation with inspiration . . .
We can help to sweep them away with our own special brooms . . . and in doing so, discover more of the beauty of our Heavenly Father's world and see it in the way it was meant to be seen.
Gather ye rosebuds . . . while ye may . . .
Well, I managed to get all that I could out of my vouchers yesterday and have it all tucked away in my freezer. It wasn't easy, but I managed to fit it in . . . even if Todd had to munch on fish sticks, veggie sausages and a few chicken patties for his lunch yesterday. It's amazing how much room packaging takes up in the freezer and those little bits and bobs of things that haven't gotten used, like those couple of fish sticks left in the pack, etc. He said it was a most unsual lunch, but he enjoyed it nevertheless! (Just a part of what makes me so interesting to live with I guess!! tee hee)
We are off to church early this morning. Bishop wants to see Todd. He has a calling to extend to him. He called Todd last Sunday evening and so Todd has been on tenderhooks all week waiting to find out what it is. The waiting will end today! Whatever it is I am sure Todd will rise to it as he does with every challenge he is faced with.
I shall leave you with a special thought for the day now and be on my way . . .
“Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely. ... He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.”
~Dieter F Uchtdorf
Happy Day all!
Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . Cardamom & Pistachio Meringues!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments mean the world to me, and while I may not be able to address each one individually, each one is important to me and each one counts. Thanks so much!