One special day

Tuesday was Valentine’s Day as all of you know, and my gift to my husband would be a day of rest and peace. My husband is a very hard worker…he works a full-time job, Monday-Friday, leaves the house at 7 a.m., on Tuesday and Thursdays he leaves his job and goes to school until 10 p.m. If that is not enough, on Saturdays he pulls a 24 hour shift riding on the ambulance. He tries to fit in sleep on Sunday and then starts the whole routine over again on Monday morning.

Tuesday morning when I woke up at 6 a.m. he had gotten up and gone to the grocery store. I jumped in the shower, put on my make-up, fixed my hair, made the bed and lit three or four candles. My thought was that I would be ready for the day, ready to meet whatever came up, our room was clean and neat, which always gives you a sense of peace, and lit the candles for a pleasant smell and a feeling of relaxation. I then went and brewed a fresh pot of coffee and then went into our room to wait for him. I envisioned a day for him just laying around on the bed watching old movies and looking up stuff he enjoys on his laptop. At lunchtime we could have a picnic in our room and then a nap.  He would have to go to school in the evening but only after a peaceful, restful day. A plan that anyone would love…well, not everyone!

My husband finally came home from the store and when he came into our room he immediately turned on the BRIGHT overhead light. Hey, didn’t you notice the wonderful, relaxing, peaceful, DIM candlelight? I guess not. Cheerfully (or semi-cheerfully) I pointed out that I had candles lit. Yea, he said, but I’m not really into candles…you can’t see a darn thing with those…you know our eyes aren’t getting any younger. Could he, on Valentine’s Day, just called me older? Okay, forget the candles. Honey, I told him, come sit on the bed and get out your laptop…you can spend the day looking at all the trout streams you want to. He then broke the news to me that an old friend that he sometimes does some site plans for would be there in a little while. They had some work to do. Today, noooo…I had plans for this day. Remember a day of peace, relaxation, rest, enjoyment? Oh, I forgot…I didn’t let him in on my plans. It was then that I told him again to sit down, take a load off, relax…he had a couple hours before his friend was coming. He then sat on the edge of the bed and instead of getting out his laptop he sat there tapping his foot. Not a good sign of peace.

So the morning went a little different then I had planned, in fact, the whole day didn’t go as planned. My husband got things ready at his desk but not in a relaxed way but an agitated way…how come there is always so much dust in this room…this printer is too big for this desk…I need a new desk chair…who moved my paper clips…Then his friend came over and instead of knocking out the work and the two of us having a fun picnic lunch they worked through until about two o’clock and I ended up running over to my son’s house, walking his dogs, going by the store and bank. By the time the work ended he said he was too tired to eat, he just wanted to take a quick nap. Go ahead…at least he can get some rest. Well, everyone knows that when you need a nap you don’t get one. The phone rang off the hook, the dog practically tore the door down wanting to take a nap with grandpa, it just wasn’t a napping day. He finally gave in and got a shower and got ready for class.  Actually, it was not the day I planned…no rest, no relaxation, and no peace.

At times, this might be how God feels about our days. He has a plan in mind for our day…a day full of peace, a day full of rest, a day that our soul and mind can relax in him. But upon waking up we take control of the day. We chose to fill the day with the attitudes of this world not the attitudes of His world, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way.” Isaiah 53:6.  We let the cares and burden of this world agitate us instead of giving him our cares and burdens and then letting go of them. “Cast your burdens on the Lord and He shall sustain you.” Psalms 55:22. We load down not just our time but our hearts with way too much, giving ourselves no time to just rest in him. Then, when we are mentally and physically worn out, everything gets to us…we seem like we have no energy and surely no peace, I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.” Jeremiah 33:6. We just want this day to end. We want one of the precious days (and our days are numbered) to go away but all we had to do was wake up and give Him our day…follow His plan for our day…follow His plan for everyday!

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” Psalm 90:12