I walked into the kitchen to find my husband staring at the counter with a puzzled look on his face. Coffee poured from above our pot and onto the counters.
“Oh, no, it’s broken!” I declared, visions of coffee-less mornings parading through my mind like a low budget horror flick.
But after living with me for years it didn’t take long for my husband to figure out what really happened.
He turned to me with a grin he just couldn’t help, “Did someone forget the filter?”
Woopsie.
As I mopped up the mess, I thought about more than coffee (because my entire life is one big spiritual analogy). I thought about how every “no” we say acts like a filter in our lives.
Now, let me tell you ladies, I love the word “Yes”.
It’s my favorite one in the universe (besides “chocolate” and “nap” of course).
Because I like it so much, I say it a lot.
And at the time, it always seems like a really good idea. I’m happy and excited about whatever I’m saying “yes” to…but then the coffee grinds hit the counter, my calendar hits overload, I’m worn out and I realize that a filter sure would have been helpful.
Woopsie.
I’m learning there’s a big difference between choosing based on God’s purpose for my life and simply chasing after everything that comes my way.
Sometimes a little “no” is actually a great big “YES” to what matters most.
My dear friend Amy Hale recently forwarded a devo from Rick Warren about this very thing (thanks again, girl!). Rick says…
You have just enough time to do God’s will while you’re here on earth. You’ve been given just enough time to fulfill your purpose. When you try to do more than God planned for you, it’s only natural that you’ll find yourself constantly out of time or stressed over your schedule.
If it doesn’t fit the purpose of your life, God doesn’t want you doing it. In fact, he may be overjoyed that you finally got the message and stopped doing meaningless activities. He may even want you to add “rest” or “have fun” to your to-do list.
My prayer for you is that you will find relief from stress and a new sense of satisfaction as you do only the things God created you to do.
Yes and amen. I know I’m called to write, counsel, and love on those God has entrusted to me.
So I’m raising my coffee cup in a much-needed toast which my counter and calendar will surely both appreciate…
Cheers to filters!
I’d love your wisdom, girls! What helps you filter? Leave a comment letting me know by midnight on Saturday and you’ll be entered to win this Memo Board from DaySpring’s Ever Grateful Collection (quite the fabulously cute filtering tool, in my humble opinion).
*Update: Congrats to Melissa Brotherton for winning the Memo Easel from the Ever Grateful collection!*
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