God tried to get my attention last Saturday evening.  I was having too much fun to listen.  Six of us were having dinner at one of the couple’s houses, and I had a quick thought: Did you turn off the stove before you left home? Answer: Of course I did.  I put the lid on the pan that held the chicken and turned off the stove.                                                                                                          

I didn’t give it a second thought.

I should have.

When Dave and I walked into our house five hours later, the smell made me gag.  Sure enough, resting atop the flame was a charred pan with no evidence chicken had ever been cooking in it.  For days afterwards, we did everything to rid our home of the horrific odors.  Everything had to be washed.  Pine-sol and candles did little to help.

When I shared my story with a friend, she told me about an Amazon product that I could place in strategic areas of my house, and it would absorb all the residual smells. And then Nanette, Dave’s daughter, told me to boil vinegar.  How simple! Here I had labored for days, burned every candle, laid baking soda in different rooms and washed all the cabinets and rugs, and there were simple products that would absorb the residue?  Nice to know.

Of course, this never would have happened had I listened to God’s nudging and run home to double-check my chicken.  Enjoying myself took precedence.  I wonder if anyone can complicate their life the way I can.

There are times I work my tail off to do something for the Lord, only to realize that all He wanted me to do was to pray about it and then sit back and watch Him work. I keep busy doing whatever I think is important instead of paying attention to how He is trying to direct me.  Last Saturday, I was having too much fun to hear His prodding.

I’m always amazed by friends who pause to listen to God’s voice, relying completely on His guidance. For example, should they be laboring to make a dinner for 80 and some needy person calls, craving counsel, they put everything on hold (i.e., turn off their stove) to share spiritual advice with them.

Not me.  I bulldoze my way through life, rarely having a calm demeanor when I have large tasks to accomplish. I do few things gently. I can’t even sneeze gently.  Mine is a tsunami kind of sneeze that makes people jump instead of a sweet, almost inaudible “achoo” like some people I know.  I eat fast.  Really fast.  Not like Nancy Reagan (size 2) recommended to stay slim: “Chew each piece of food 20 times.”  I waste much less time when I jam 20 pieces of food in my mouth and chew once.

 

Psalm 143:10 gives great instruction on what really matters: Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. When God gives a nudge, I need to budge. When He presents before me others looking angry or sad, He gives me an opportunity to ask if I can pray for them.  When they struggle to pay for their groceries, I can recognize His push to help them financially.  When God stirs my heart to donate my time for a needy cause, I can set aside my excuses and help.

And when He asks if I turned off my stove, I must, must, must listen.