Cleanup on Aisle 3 (Thought-Provoking Thursday)
Photo Credit: akaak19, via Free Images
Last night the power went out at 6 PM. We live in Florida, and it felt close to 100 degrees in the house, so we immediately vacated the premises. Our air conditioned vehicle transformed into a safe haven on wheels.
We had time to kill — the automated voice on the line when I called the power company indicated that we might be in the dark for close to 4 hours. With no destination in mind, we did what any hot-blooded American couple would do — we went shopping. After I grabbed my cart in the Target parking lot, I aimlessly wandered up and down aisles just because I was hot and bothered.
I didn’t have a destination — I browsed through the books and CD’s, picked at the greeting cards, and rummaged through the framed art. Nothing tickled my fancy.
At one point, a helpful employee noticed that I appeared lost and frustrated in the sock aisle, and she offered to walk me to the right section of the store to find the exact item I required.
“No, that’s ok,” I said. “Just tell me where to go, and I will find it.”
Stubborn girl. I wander around, tired and lost. I fill up my cart with all sorts of junk on the journey.
I imagine that God is looking down at me — I’m making a mess of things by not listening, by not slowing down, by not following.
Clean up on aisle 3, He says. Time to step in and put things back in order.
I’m thankful that He doesn’t let me wander for long.
This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
Jeremiah 6:16, NIV
Something to think about…
I love the way you take everyday experiences and link them back to your relationship with the Lord. Every incident can be a way to draw closer to Him.
I do believe you just captured the premise of my blog in your comment. — I’m learning as I go. Thanks for coming along for the ride. 🙂
I have that one tattooed on my neck. 6:16. People ask me what it means. I happily oblige them.
Excellent evangelism tool 🙂
I’m more apt myself to wander around to find something in the store than ask a clerk for help, too. Unless I’m in a hurry. 🙂 Thankful that God doesn’t let me wander too long either. A beautiful analogy, Lyli. Hope you have your electricity back!
Thanks, Lisa. We got back home about 10:30. Thankfully, I actually had taken Tuesday off, and we had bought take out for an early dinner, so the power outage didn’t disrupt my to-do list too much.
I love that verse from Jeremiah! Thanks for hosting here, Lyli. So many great folks!
I hadn’t thought about this verse in a long time, but last night, I found it again. I am so glad that I did.
God has sure had to clean up some of my messes. What a great analogy — I need to slow down AND listen.
Thank you for hosting!
Joyfully,
Pamela
He is so patient with me, Pamela!
Thanks for linking up. 🙂
Lyli,
What a great verse and I love how you did ultimately listen to what God was saying and then you shared with us…I always need to be reminded to listen to God first…Thank you….hope your power is back on…
Oh this line right here: I fill up my cart with all sorts of junk on the journey. —-> I do that with my heart far too often.
I love how you find lessons in the ordinary, Lyli. This is a great one too.
I hope your electricity was returned on time and you were able to cool down! this is the season of thunderstorms here. It is amazing how God speaks when our ears are tuned for listening, isn’t it?
I keep hearing the phrase, “bind my wandering heart to Thee”. I too am thankful He doesn’t allow me to wander too long. Thanks for sharing at The Weekend Brew!