Kingdom, Come!

Yesterday I had another follow-up exam by the doctor. I was feeling nervous - nervous about the procedure and a little nervous about the results. When thoughts of cancer recurrence crossed my mind, I dismissed them and thanked God for healing.

I asked the Lord to be with me during that appointment.

Praise God, I did receive a good report. The doctor said that there are not even any signs of the radiation treatments that I had which had showed up on previous exams.

What a relief! And again a feeling of being set free.

On the drive home I was listening to the radio. Matt Maher's song was on, and - alone in the car - I began singing along with a very grateful heart.

 

May His Kingdom come into our hearts, into our lives, and into our world. 

"For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever!" 

The Spilled Drink

My husband called up to me from the kitchen. "There's an accident here!"

"Oh, no, did the dog have an accident?"

"No, I spilled a drink."

So I went downstairs to see a large container of mango juice from the refrigerator splashed across the kitchen floor. "Oh, no!"

I was clearly not happy. I grabbed one, two, three towels to wipe up the juice. Then I got the Swiffer mop and went over the area one, two, three times. I was feeling a little upset with my husband for being so clumsy, but I know I need to forgive.

Good news is that the floor in the kitchen is freshly mopped. (It needed it.)

I went upstairs to make the bed. I then accidentally knocked over a floral arrangement in a glass vase that had a lot of very tiny glass pebbles in it. Oh, no! Clumsy me! Accidents happen. I had to smile. "Good one, God." 

All is forgiven. Life is good. Praise God in all circumstances.

In the Kitchen

I was reading about how our mission as Christians is to expand the Kingdom of God. So I asked the Lord, "How are you asking me to expand your Kingdom?"

"Begin in the kitchen." 

The kitchen! Really? (I was hoping to hear of a more lofty mission.) 

"The kitchen. Write it down." 

I do spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I am aware that I sometimes complain - if not out loud, but to myself - of the loads of dishes and pots and pans that need washing. And of how bored I can be doing those routine meal preparations, like peeling potatoes and carrots, and how I'd rather be doing something else. And, honestly, I don't really like unloading the groceries from the car and putting them away (especially after a Costco trip!). 

I began thinking about the kitchen being the heart of the home where we gather, share conversations, are nourished. Is our kitchen as clean and welcoming as it deserves to be? 

The kitchen is definitely a place where the Lord can work on changing my attitude in doing chores. And it's a place where I have daily opportunities to be creative with meals and to show my family and friends how much they are valued and loved. 

When I am alone in the kitchen and loading the dishwasher, I do praise and thank the Lord. Moments of drudgery can truly become moments of joy. 

I am reminded that St. Therese of Lisieux once said, “to pick up a pin for love of God can save souls.” I can certainly set the table and load the dishes for the love of God. 

May His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.