Today is "Someday"

Are you like me?  Do you ever hear an amazing message, feel challenged by a wonderful thought, think you're called to begin a new habit or finish reading the last page of a book and think, 'I should do that', but that's as far as your response goes?

Too many times in the past I have walked away too quickly from a Word the Lord has impressed on my heart.  There's a moment when everything within me is sensing His Spirit exciting me to action, but I console myself with 'someday'.  I trick myself into believing that 'someday' is acceptable when God is saying 'now'.

About 10 days ago I read my dear friend Sharon Glasgow's blog post.  It was entitled, "He Rolled Out the Red Carpet for Our Guests".  She shared a story around the theme of hospitality.  Sharon and Dale readily open their home to guests, I know as I've had the delight of being one of them.  On this occasion however, the carefully planned meal went to the dogs...literally...as her four-legged family member got to the filet mignons before she did.  Now what was she to do?  Instead of the special meal she had planned, she prayed that the Lord would lavish their guests with His presence while she quickly pulled a prepared frozen casserole from her freezer.  As Sharon says, Jesus rolled out the red carpet that night, bringing them to His banqueting table and enveloping all at the table in His love.

At the close of her blog post she asked: "What hinders you from inviting guests for dinner?"  Ugh, intersect God's timing.  I had just had this conversation with a friend.  I was at my church earlier and saw the sign-up sheet to host missionaries for a meal during our Global Outreach Conference.  Immediately my heart longed to respond.  My parents had always opened their home to visiting missionaries and it just stirred so many precious memories.  But...(did you know a 'but' was coming?)...I always feel so inadequate in the kitchen.  I wish so much I had a "go to" meal that NEVER fails that I could haul out on such occasion.  I am so intimidated by meal preparation.  I never know what to serve.  My fear of what to cook and how it will turn out, keeps me from extending invitations.  I LOVE having people in for dessert and coffee.  That I can handle, but the whole meal thing puts me in a panic.

After reading Sharon's post I knew the Holy Spirit was nudging me to open my home to a missionary couple.  I began praying for a recipe and for courage.

Well, last night was that dinner.  I'm thrilled to let you know that the roast beef, complete with Yorkshire Pudding and all the fixin's turned out marvelously! :-) (Yes, I had to add a *smile*!)  I set the table with Fall decor and it all looked lovely.  The Lord kindly answered my prayer for everything  finish cooking at the same time, and the right time.  It was all delicious (and we have leftovers).  However, the greater blessing was the time shared with this sweet couple.  The missionaries who came to our home are young.  They are working for DayStar on Manitoulin Island ministering to First Nations native people.  It was wonderful to hear how God is moving, working and using them for His glory.  What a blessing we would have missed had fear, pride etc...kept me from following the Spirit's prompting.

Has the Lord been calling you to action?  Have you heard or read something recently and you thought you should do that "someday".  What has hindered you?  Why not start today?  What good is it agreeing that an idea sounds good without applying it?  It's pretty useless if it hasn't brought about change.  A great idea heard, but not heeded, remains wishful thinking.

I wish I had taken more pictures, but I did remember to quickly take a picture right before our new friends left.  May the Lord continue to use you, Anthony and Barbara, as you serve in His Name.

Closing with a verse I heard repeated often by my mother as a child: "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith." (Proverbs 15:17)