Waltzing with Half-Hearted Obedience

I spent almost all of yesterday afternoon on the phone. I was so behind in my house work that I just decided to rip through it while talking and catching up with some of my buds (multi-tasking rules!). So, if you were one of the people I talked to, and it seemed like I was out of breath - I was probably mopping.

Mopping is one of those completely useless, thankless tasks - but if you don't do it, that's when people (and by people, I mean Michael and Caroline) notice. At my house, you can be sure that the day I mop is the day someone will spill apple juice right in front of the door (thereby guarenteeing it's spread throughout the kitchen), or someone will have a freezer pop that leaks. (I read on my friend Becky's blog that "housework, even done poorly, still blesses my family." I don't know if that is her own original quote or not, but it sounds like something she would say. )

Since we have mostly hardwood floors in our house, cleaning them takes many steps. First, I use the broom to sweep them. I get into the corners, under stuff, you get the picture. Then, I take the dust mop (or dry mop - I have heard it called that before) and go over everything again, just to get what the broom missed. Finally, I make a mixture of Murphy's oil soap and water to do the actual mopping (pine sol for the kitchen & baths). We get our floors good and dirty, so it's a chore. This entire process takes the better part of my morning, and I try and do it every week. Best done when Ethan is napping.

Yesterday, as I was mopping (and taking a break from phone calls), a thought came to me: Too many times I say I'm doing something out of obedience (mopping my floor, talking to someone about the Lord, etc.), but I end up doing a half-fanny job. This isn't the kind of obedience that God commands!! If I feel like God is calling me to something (even if I may not really want to do it) and I am called to be obedient...shouldn't it be something I give my all to? Scripture I was reminded of the verse that says "whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord." This says to me that whatever I do and whatever effort I put forth to do it, ought to be done with my whole heart...whether it be cleaning, speaking, studying, or worshipping/church involvements. It makes me think of the story of the child who was told to sit down, but protested until she was disciplined...and her remark to her mother was "I may be sitting down on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside. God is way more concerned about my heart...my obedience has to include our heart attitude as well, doesn't it?

Bob Flayhart (pastor of Oak Mtn. PCA) talks about the waltz: repent, believe, fight, repent, believe, fight...a 3 step dance. Ultimatley, I can do this dance while I...mop with a bad attitude...or while I complain about _________, even when I know it's what God wants me doing. This is the solution to my half-hearted obedience! This is the solution to all my sin, in fact. How thankful I am that I have the One who needs no dancing lessons acting on my behalf, interceding for me and teaching me the steps.

Bless ya!