Ladies, Ladies…All the Ladies!!

Josh was lingering over near my flower pot. “What are you doing, honey?”  I questioned.  “Just one minute, Mommy,” Josh replied.  “Close your eyes……now… OPEN!”  He yelled.  In his hands were two tiny little yellow pansies.  “Put them behind your ear,” he requested.  Of course like every good mommy, I proudly placed each one behind my ears.  “You look extinguished!”  he admired.  I laughed out loud!  “You mean distinguished?”  “Yes!”  he laughed back.

My kids say the funniest things sometimes.  It makes some of those long days at home quite entertaining.  While Josh and I were getting a nice laugh out of his cute little “big” word, Will was walking around the yard holding his t-ball stand sideways.  I asked what he was doing and he matter of factly said..”I’m blowing off the leaves, Mommy!”  I suppose that was his blower.  He then came over to me “Oops, Mom… I think we need to buy some more wind.  This one is running out of wind.”  (so funny). 

“Baby, there are some things you can’t buy… and WIND is one of them.”

Thus my mind began to wander and I started thinking of all of the things I wish I could buy that I can’t.  Things like “more time” of course.. that’s always an oldie, but goodie… but wouldn’t it be great if you could buy things like “skinny”….. or  Oooooo… and here’s where I stopped… Sleep.  AAAHH!  Ya’ll know how I LOVE sleep.  Just imagine.. wouldn’t it be great if you could just swing by a drive-thru and buy some “sleep”…then you’d suddenly feel rested?  …I mean I suppose Starbucks or those “Monster” drinks have tried to somehow create the sensation…but I’m sorry.. when I feel rested, I don’t normally have the shakes.  Know what I mean?

I was reading today in Proverbs 5……

“For the lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech…..Now then, …listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth.  Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house, or you will give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one; and strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien.”  Proverbs 5:3,7-10

I don’t know… I know this is one of those random passages, but God really used it today to speak some truth to me.  I am always desiring energy and strength.  It’s exhausting keeping up my the house, children, marriage, friendships……I began to see all of the times I’ve given my vigor over to others… I began to be convicted of the years that I have wasted to the cruel one.  I know I am not talking or hanging around “adulteresses”…..but see, anything that distracts me from being faithful to my Lord and Savior… is my adulterer.  Seriously.  I think of all of the times I’ve chosen to pour my energy into pots of Worry and Fear.  All of the times I decided to believe Satan’s lies and fill him with my strength as I fought my OWN torment.  Not to mention the years in my youth when perhaps I never went into the “door of her house”… but I sure had camped out on the porch.

I am not saying that I am still enslaved to these sins.  I am free..”For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is free from sin.”  Romans 6:5-7

I am simply convicted of the valuable pieces of myself that I hand over to the “aliens” on a daily basis. That’s all.  The TV shows I’ve watched… that movie scenes that are still horrifically impressed in my memory……my choice of words and behaviors.  I complain about sleep.. but have I been self-disciplined?  Have I been retiring at reasonable times at night?  It’s just something to think about.  I think we all know what our own adulterer’s house looks like.  I’m pretty sure we can recognize it from a mile away.  Can we avoid her?  Through Christ we can.  It is my prayer that we will pray up our hearts today and hold on to all of our “hard-earned goods!”