Satisfied

My husband threw a party for my birthday last week. Well, I guess, not so much threw a party as gathered one. The only throwing involved was with bean bags for the Corn Hole game, which the children thoroughly enjoyed. There was Badminton, too. The old folks sat on the screened porch with iced tea and sodas, and the young parents wandered among the people groups like so many bees among the flowers. My husband, ever the grill master, did not disappoint, and the store-bought cake was positively sublime. It was a lovely party.

Of course, a gathering of that size (20 adults and 15 children) places certain demands upon the host and hostess, and so on the holiday weekend before, we began shopping, cleaning and staging in preparation for the event. The most labor intensive of these endeavors was the scrubbing of the screened porch and the furniture therein. Following the pollen-choked Spring and repairs of the exterior deck and stairs, there was a thick coat of pollen and sawdust on everything and in every cranny.

I’m so happy to have my screened porch back. It has resumed being a place to relax and reflect. Sitting in the ancient rocking chair with fresh coffee, under the gently moving ceiling fans, and surrounded by the few plants I haven’t managed to murder, I realized that it has been ages since I’d wanted to go and sit out there. It is, now, a gift restored.

And isn’t it like the Lord to use the earthly things to speak of heaven? In this rather simple and mundane task, I see the necessity of regular maintenance. Not just of my home but also of my heart and mind. In the same way that I had lost the benefit of my porch and allowed it to be overrun by dust and dirt, my heart, too, can become shadowed and my mind can acquire clutter. Daily attendance to the needs of my heart and soul is critical to the health and happiness of my life as a child of the King.

I thirst for His presence, in which I am made whole and infused with power to accomplish my part in His purposes. It is necessary, therefore, to invite Him into the mess of me and receive His truth regarding me. The living water He promises cleans, purifies and refreshes, and I will again receive all the benefit of who He is. I must continue to seek Him and to believe He is all I need. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1-2 NASB)

Lord, Jesus Christ, I hear you calling, and I come and bow before you, my God and my King. I am desperate for You. You alone can save. You alone can rescue. You alone can cause me to flourish. Let Your living water flow through me and out to the world around me. Come Holy Spirit and make Your presence known, to the glory of the Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Dear one, I pray you will allow your hunger and thirst to be satisfied in Him. Don’t settle for things that pacify. Seek the One who satisfies. He knows what you need.

Until next week, beloved, drink of the living water He is offering.