As Keith and I walked to the church parking lot after Bible Study last Sunday, I heard a ding and checked my cell phone.

“On our way to Gettysburg then Shenandoah Valley. Will txt when one hour away. Beautiful day!”

I texted my long-time friend who I hadn’t seen in two years, “So you are coming today instead of next Sunday? No problem. Just got the dates mixed up. Can’t wait to see you.”

“If you have other plans, no worries. We can just come for a short visit today or tomorrow.”

“This is a blessing. Now I don’t have to make everything perfect!”

But I wanted to.

On the drive home, my mind created a new checklist: stop at Basic Necessities for wine, cheese and bread; clean kitchen and bathrooms, pick up clutter; steam clean dog slobber off the floors. Thank goodness there wasn’t time to dust all the books in the house or hunt down every stinkbug. Then I would have been too tired to enjoy my friend and her husband.

In The Best Yes, Lysa TerKeurst wrote, “The decisions we make dictate the schedules we keep. The schedules we keep determine the lives we live. The lives we live determine how we spend our soul. So it isn’t just about finding time. This is about honoring God with the time we have.”

MonticelloOct2015Clearly, I needed to check my attitude. So I took TerKeurst’s advice and added, “so that I might bless whom?” to the end of each item on my checklist for the next day. Chores, Monday laundry and this blog post gave way to spending time with my friends: an historical tour of the UVA campus, lunch at Petit Pois in Charlottesville’s historic downtown mall, a visit to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, tastings at Silverback Distillery and Bold Rock Hard Cider in Nelson County, and a simple, family-style supper at home.

And lots of talking and listening so that Keith and I might bless my friend and her husband and receive their blessings with grace.

No, it wasn’t a perfect visit, but we enjoyed the messiness.

“Some day we’ll laugh about this,” my friend said about the mix up.

I replied, “Why wait for some day. Let’s laugh now.”

The Best Yes.

2 Comments

  1. Carol Cutler

    Sometimes we get so “busy”, our soul has to run behind us with its tongue hanging out, saying Slpw down and let me catch up. Thanks for this nice blogpost.
    Carol

    Reply
  2. Carole Duff

    Busy, indeed, and in my case, it’s not only slow down but also let go.
    Thank you for your comment. Trust all is well.

    Reply

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