A couple of months ago, we had a party to celebrate my husband receiving his Master’s degree. So all that day was spent cleaning, prepping, and visiting with party guests. Sunday was church and singing on worship team. I woke up Monday morning with every intention of having a quiet day at home, outside of a few short errands, allowing my semi-introverted self to re-charge from the weekend’s hectic social activities.
Instead, I had a thought pressing on me with the weight of holy conviction—I needed to make a big batch of pancakes for breakfast! The thought was so persistent that I couldn’t rest easy, so I dutifully got up and made pancakes. As the pancakes came off the stove, however, I realized I had made at least twice as many as we would eat, and what’s more, we couldn’t eat these, anyway; by the time the pancakes were made, it was time to leave for the early morning commute to drop the teenager off at summer day camp and do a couple errands with the little one.
Then another thought dropped in my head, as though the Holy Spirit was nudging me inch-by-inch towards something I felt reluctant to do. “Call your friend and invite her for lunch. Eat the pancakes.”
Do what, God??
So I called my friend and invited her to come over for lunch with her kids. Not sure if they even liked pancakes, I joked that we could also make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches if the pancakes ran out. She said that would actually be perfect and accepted the invitation.
I ended the call wondering what on earth had just happened. I do NOT do spontaneous hospitality. I need time to prep my somewhat introverted self for the encounter, and I need time to decide something fun to eat and time to clean the house.
In other words, time to be in control of as much as possible.
But you know what? When my friend arrived, we had a lovely visit. Our kiddos ate all the pancakes, and the 2 moms had peanut butter and jelly. The moms got to chat, and the kids got to play. The conversation was strangely relaxing, for all that we were constantly interrupted by our children.
This encounter with my friend was certainly not about my being in control and doing things just the way I like them. It was about listening to God’s leading and obeying it. It was about stepping outside my comfort zone and going out on a limb to serve someone else, despite my own tiredness and desire to be in control. It was about serving the need of my friend in the moment, no matter how awkward I might feel about it.
Had I not listened to God’s nudging, my friend would still have eaten, and I’d have a freezer full of pancakes. But what a blessing we would both have missed. I’m incredibly thankful that on this occasion, at least, I listened.
Instead, I had a thought pressing on me with the weight of holy conviction—I needed to make a big batch of pancakes for breakfast! The thought was so persistent that I couldn’t rest easy, so I dutifully got up and made pancakes. As the pancakes came off the stove, however, I realized I had made at least twice as many as we would eat, and what’s more, we couldn’t eat these, anyway; by the time the pancakes were made, it was time to leave for the early morning commute to drop the teenager off at summer day camp and do a couple errands with the little one.
Then another thought dropped in my head, as though the Holy Spirit was nudging me inch-by-inch towards something I felt reluctant to do. “Call your friend and invite her for lunch. Eat the pancakes.”
Do what, God??
So I called my friend and invited her to come over for lunch with her kids. Not sure if they even liked pancakes, I joked that we could also make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches if the pancakes ran out. She said that would actually be perfect and accepted the invitation.
I ended the call wondering what on earth had just happened. I do NOT do spontaneous hospitality. I need time to prep my somewhat introverted self for the encounter, and I need time to decide something fun to eat and time to clean the house.
In other words, time to be in control of as much as possible.
But you know what? When my friend arrived, we had a lovely visit. Our kiddos ate all the pancakes, and the 2 moms had peanut butter and jelly. The moms got to chat, and the kids got to play. The conversation was strangely relaxing, for all that we were constantly interrupted by our children.
This encounter with my friend was certainly not about my being in control and doing things just the way I like them. It was about listening to God’s leading and obeying it. It was about stepping outside my comfort zone and going out on a limb to serve someone else, despite my own tiredness and desire to be in control. It was about serving the need of my friend in the moment, no matter how awkward I might feel about it.
Had I not listened to God’s nudging, my friend would still have eaten, and I’d have a freezer full of pancakes. But what a blessing we would both have missed. I’m incredibly thankful that on this occasion, at least, I listened.