Wow, did we ever have a busy day here today! Some days it just seems like you accomplish so much. We have an ongoing family joke around here that some of us measure our days by how much we accomplished and others by how much we enjoyed the day! I am all about accomplishing. It was that kind of a day for me. I went to my cleaning job early this morning, spent an hour there and headed home to clean my own house. By shortly after 11, Rhiannon and I had it mostly whipped! It had been quite a while since I'd done so thorough a cleaning. I have been cleaning room by room as time permits and doing the whole house made me feel pretty good about my surroundings!
Had to make a run to town to mail out a copy of my book that had been requested by someone out of state and also to do a few errands. Stopping by my favorite fast food joint for a diet pop was a little break in my day. I ended up at the bargain fabric table of a major store where I purchased a loose weave linen for a summer jacket I intend to make. Before we ever left home we had washed bedding and hung it out to dry in the beautiful sunshine. As soon as I got home, I did up another load of clothes with the new fabric and then hung all that out. It dried in no time with the stiff breeze and the sunshine. After I hung that load of laundry out, I headed out for a long walk. I don't know how far I walked, but it was a major walk, not just a pleasure trip! When I got home I did the chores, watering chickens and gathering eggs. Went upstairs just in time to finish sewing the new summer dress for Emma that I had started yesterday. Got that washed and hung up and then it was time to head for church.
Supper had been prepared in the morning. We had ham and beans and cornbread. Let's say a few words about ham and beans. If you want to beat the sluggish economy, go back to the food of our ancestors. Serve ham and beans. I bought a ham with the bone in about a week ago and stuck it in the freezer. It cost around $11. I got it out the other day and cooked it in the crock pot. We had one supper from it serving 4 people. Everyone exclaimed that it was the best tasting ham they'd ever had. Next day we made ham and a few beans in the crock pot. We decided to go out to eat (not a good way to beat the economy) so only one person ate on that meal. So far this ham has served meals to 5 people. Today I took the bone and some of the leftover ham and added a partial package of beans that originally cost 68 cents and let it cook in the crock pot all day. Others in the family ate ham sandwiches for lunch. Four people ate ham and beans for supper tonight and there are leftovers. I still have used only about 34 cents worth of the beans and some ham is also left. All together this one $11 ham and 34 cents worth of beans has made 9 meals for people. Of course, I added a few other side dishes like about $2 worth of cornbread and some home canned green beans, (basically free) etc. No telling how many meals we'll get out of it before it's all gone. Cheap eating. Try it, you'll like it.
Saying all that to say this, some days are filled with accomplishment yet we can forget the most important things. When I got up this morning I had left my Bible upstairs and being in a hurry to get to work, I opted to just pray a little and read the scripture later. Well, later never came. I got real busy working and accomplishing only to find myself at the end of the day never having "eaten" the most important food, the "bread", the word of God.
Tonight was communion at our church in commemoration of the last supper. We celebrate this Christian tradition every year during the week of Easter. Clint opened the service with a version of "The Old Rugged Cross"(written by George Bennard) playing over the sound system while the center lights shone on a wooden cross. The first words of his sermon went something like this, "We can get so busy accomplishing things that we forget the cross." Ouch. That hit home. Pretty well described my day. And to top it all off, I was especially concerned today at things I heard on the radio and in various news broadcasts and other places that were more than disturbing. Each incident related the fact that Christians are losing ground in the public arena as more and more institutions exclude us from expressing our values and beliefs. Like you, I know people who seem to be "losing" their faith or backing away from what they once held dear as far as biblical beliefs go. It's time to ask ourselves what's important and where we stand. I don't want to be one who accomplishes much in other arenas of life only to lose ground in my Christian walk and finish poorly at the end. The Bible says we are to study to show ourselves approved (2Timothy 2:15).We are to be ready to defend the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). The Bible is the undisputable word of God and it is truth. Will we stand by it in these difficult times or shrink back and compromise? Will the economy become our priority as we grasp for money or will we be wise with our funds yet realize they are really not worth worrying about in light of eternity?
Tonight as the hymn played I was struck by a line in the chorus that says, "...when my trophies at last I lay down." What "trophies" do we value most? The ones that the Lord bestows on us for serving Him, or the earthly "trophies" we think are so important? As I looked at the rugged cross on the stage during tonight's service I was reminded that we had better be in Christ when it all comes to an end or no trophy we have acquired will be worth anything. Nothing else will stand, nothing else will matter. The ultimate trophy is the cross that Jesus bore for us as He became sin for us. He allows us to embrace the cross and His salvation in exchange for our sin. This is a sobering thought for these days. Blessings, LORI
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