These verses really get me. I am in awe of Anna. I want her to be my mentor, but since I don’t have a time travel machine just yet, I will have to settle for her life speaking to me via these verses. There isn’t much similar between me and Anna. She was advanced in years, a widow, and had copious amounts of free time to spend fasting and praying in the temple. I, on the other hand, am nearing middle age, still have my husband, a mama to 6, living in Uganda. I have very little free time, and quiet moments are scarce to non-existent.
So it’s here that I’m tempted to send sweet Anna on her merry way and assume that her life has nothing to do with mine. BUT. She is a woman caught up in the Grand Story of the Redemption. She couldn’t get enough. It flowed out of her life. She spoke of it to all. And this is beautiful to me. I find this irresistible. Oh, how I want this to be true of me!
What if I took her situation, her devotion, her commitment to giving thanks and talking about redemption and translated it into my everyday? What would it look like?
What if I make my home a temple and spend my days worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day?
Can I take my moments, the ones filled with laundry and trying to convince a teenage boy of the benefits of showers, and turn these mundane moments into acts of worship? Can I? Can I turn my words to thankfulness to God and speak of His redemption to all?
What would this look like? Here are some thoughts on how to start:
- Turn my eyes upon Jesus. Bask in His redemption. Gaze at His glory.There is no substitute and no checklist. The Gospel is where it starts and ends.
- Turn down the noise and to be quiet. {Getting up early, afternoon quiet time for the whole house, turning down TV watching in the evening, turning off the Internet}
- Turn from my idols. Rinse, Repent, Repeat. Daily, hourly, minutely {!}, I find myself running to idols in my heart. Things that tempt me away from gazing. I have to continually return to the Lord and repent and ask the Holy Spirit to help me turn from these things. {Internet, appearance, pride, reputation, to name just a few.}
- Turn up the message I need to hear. {Turning on the worship music, turning my eyes to Scripture, turning to those people in my life that challenge my heart to follow the Lord}
- Turn each mundane moment into an act of worship, no matter how small, from cooking to cleaning, showering to scrubbing.
- Turn my words into words of praise and thankfulness, declaring the redemption to all.
Let’s take these moments, in our days leading up to Christmas, to turn our homes into temples. Thank you, Anna, for leading us on the road. The Road to Jesus. The Road to Christmas.
All for Jesus,
I really love these ideas!! Thank you!!
I totally agree Jennifer! Such awesome practical ideas! Thanks for popping in today!
Blessings, {Marlene LGG Encourager}
“There is no substitute and no checklist. The gospel is where it starts and end.” Thank you for this reminder…always needed!
YES! That totally jumped out for me too! There is no substitute. Thanks for visiting today Anika!
Blessings, {Marlene LGG Encourager}
Yes, thank you For putting it in perspective. This is my prayer to do this till it is a nature part of me. I too would love to sit down and chat with these ladies and since I can’t I’ll follow them and try to learn from their examples.
Me too, Angela! I’d love to chat with these amazing women of the Bible! I’m so thankful we have their legacy left to us in the Scriptures! Thanks for stopping by!
Blessings, {Marlene LGG Encourager}
Lovely and yet challenging thoughts! Thank you.
Too easy to keep the secular and sacred apart, but it is to bring Jesus into our mundane, into our everyday that is the challenge and the blessing! X
So true, Fiona. That is the challenge (and blessing!). Thanks for sharing with us today!
Blessings, {Marlene LGG Encourager}
THANKS SO MUCH! I love this study & I learn so much now I need to dwell it in my spirit!!
I really appreciate the way you broke this down. I have always tried to turn these kinds of moments into moments of worship, but it is sometimes hard. Rinse, repent, repeat sounds like the best motto I’ve heard in a while to address this issue. Those moments when I lose my temper, get frustrated because my pre-teen forgot to wear her deoderant AGAIN, I neglected to get the meat out of the freezer, didn’t dry the laundry, etc…sometimes interject their noise into the solitude my soul craves. Remembering to turn even those moments into moments with the Master, an attitude of worship, grace, forgiveness…is the lifestyle I wish to show my children and others. Thank you once again for your words!
The Lord reminded me of these words from Psalm 119 as I read this post: “Turn my eyes away from what is worthless! Revive me with your word!”
Thank you so much for writing this, Joy – it was what I needed to read today!