Has Spring Finally Sprung?

I think spring has finally sprung in the northwoods. The lilacs are budding and the rhubarb is starting to show it's pink fruit. I only picked one stalk of rhubarb to show you, but I had to get out of there quick before I picked enough to make a pan of rhubarb crisp! In order to make a pan I would have to pick every stalk out there. They are only about four fingers long right now!

Early this morning I was in the kitchen packing the King's lunch. He comes in the kitchen a few minutes after I get in there and asks me if I won. "Did I win?" I ask. With a smirk on his face he says, "Yeah, your spelling bee." Evidently I was spelling words in my sleep last night! I have been harassed before about talking in my sleep, but I don't think I have ever spelled in my sleep!

Sunday night I was reading about Asa in 1Kings.

Asa conducted himself well before God, reviving the ways of his ancestor David. He cleaned house: He got rid of the sacred prostitutes and threw out all the idols his predecessors had made. Asa spared nothing and no one; he went so far as to remove Queen Maacah from her position because she had built a shockingly obscene memorial to the whore goddess Asherah. Asa tore it down and burned it up in the Kidron Valley. Unfortunately, he didn't get rid of the local sex-and-religion shrines. But he was well-intentioned-his heart was in the right place, in tune with God. ~1Kings15:11-15 The Message

Asa was doing the right things for the right reasons. Sometimes I am guilty of doing the right things, church things, but my heart is not always into it. Sometimes I have done things at church because they needed to be done and no one else was willing or able to do them. I know from experience that if we are serving God, and our heart is in place or in tune with God, whatever we are working on will flow much smoother and be more enjoyable. This bring two more things to my mind.

1. It is so important to keep our heart in tune with God. I do this by reading the Word and praying. You may also keep your heart in tune with God through Bible studies and music. Maybe you use a different method or a combo of methods, but I think it is important to be doing these things on a daily basis.

2. Is it okay to do things sometimes because it needs doing, even if your heart is not into it? I'm not talking about cleaning the bath tub or grocery shopping here! That just has to get done. I'm talking about things for church or God. One I struggle with sometimes is the children's ministry. I love little kids, but only a few at a time. I have helped with little kids Sunday school, vacation Bible school and Awana programs, but my heart is not always into it. I prefer older students. Is it wrong to work in these areas because the help is needed even if I'm not into it? If I have to make myself go and do it? Or is that sacrificing a little bit of ourselves for God? We all know Jesus didn't want to die on the cross, but He did it anyway. I guess I don't really have this whole area thought out yet! What are your thoughts?

Sometimes I know I'm not enjoying it because my heart is not in the right place. Other times I feel very close to God and still don't want to serve in a certain ministry. I know time can be a factor here. We can get ourselves so busy, doing right or good things, that we don't have time left for God. We find ourselves running from one activity to another. I think we all have to know ourselves well to know how much is to much. Some people thrive on going, going, going all the time. Other people need much more down time. I tend to be in the middle. As long as I can have some alone time, time to read in the Word and time to do whatever I want by myself, I can usually keep a full schedule the rest of the day.