Every Friday night is date night. Our girls love date night, because they get to have their own "date" with each other. They get some sort of fun supper - Bagel Bites, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, etc. Then they go to their room for some reading time before settling in to bed for the night. Meanwhile, my wonderful husband and I prepare our own dinner and spend the evening just being together. No obligations, no chores, no catch-up work - just spending time together enjoying each other's company.
This past Friday night we decided we wanted meaty pizza dip for supper. While Doug went to take a shower, I pulled out the baking dish I typically use for our pizza dip, and I began to assemble the layers. Once it was all assembled, I went to put it into the toaster oven to bake. To my shock, the pan wouldn't fit! You would think that I would know whether or not my favorite pan would fit in the toaster oven I'd used for years, and somehow I thought it would! But, it didn't. There was no way to make it fit. Why not use the full-size oven, you ask? Well, I'll get to that in a minute.
I pulled out another dish. This one I just knew I'd used in the toaster oven before, so I very carefully transferred the beautifully layered dip into the new dish. Although it was no longer nearly so beautifully layered, it still looked fine. I moved to put the new dish in the toaster oven, but it wouldn't fit either! I was floored! I finally managed to angle the dish just slightly and get it to fit without running the risk of the dip spilling out, and I left it.
So, what about that full-size oven? Well, a decision from just over two weeks before kept me from using that oven when I needed it. On the first day in this house I opened the oven to see a nasty sight. It was the filthiest oven I'd ever seen, and there was no way I was going to bake anything in there! I closed the door and decided to concentrate on other things for the time being. After all, we typically used smaller dishes to bake our food simply because they held better portions for our family. I frequently used the toaster oven. It wouldn't be a problem now! I just needed to get the oven cleaned in time to bake Steven's birthday cake. Not a problem!
And, to be honest, there were much more important things to focus on at the time. Nothing was unpacked, and I could barely maneuver through the kitchen around the boxes anyway. No, it just wasn't the right time to clean the oven. But, since then, there have been many other opportunities, and I just haven't done it. So, when I needed the oven, it was of no use to me.
So, what's the point of this story? Well, even as I was transferring the pizza dip to the second baking dish, a gentle voice began speaking to my heart showing me how I tend to do this very same thing in my spiritual life. God will lay something on my heart that I need to do. It might be to email or call someone I haven't talked to in a while. It might be to deal with something in my life that will either hold me back or allow me to take another step closer to becoming like my Savior. Sometimes I deal with it instantly. Other times I procrastinate. I argue that it doesn't need to be done right now - I have time before it's essential. Well, at least I have time before I think it's essential! What always catches me is that something pops up before I get the task done. My friend's crisis passes and I miss the chance to minister. My own crisis arrives and I haven't made the spiritual preparations I need to face it God's way. I could type for hours giving specific examples, but I think you get the point.
I will clean that oven this week. I will follow God in obedience today. No more procrastination. No more waiting. Who knows what task I'll be given tomorrow? If I haven't done what He's told me today, I won't be ready!
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