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SPRING IS IN THE AIR!
Happy Spring Days
from
Susan Klaudt Natural Horse Faith-Man-Ship
LEARNING TO
Prioritize - Prioritize - Prioritize
The Bible says that every day is a good day to praise the Lord. Trouble is, many people are way too busy to take the time to praise Him. In this crazy, busy world we live in, excuses abound. Perhaps you're thinking to yourself, "how do I find time" to spend with God? You find time when you learn what's really important in life, and then you PRIORITIZE!
It's true, there's just not enough hours in the day to get "stuff" done. Believe me, I know. I wear many hats out here on our 48 acre funny farm, as we lovingly call it. House cleaning hats (yuck), laundry hats, errand boy hats, lawn mowing hats, horse poop mucker hats, glorified secretary hats, take the dogs to the vet hats, etc. You name it, I've got a hat for it.
To make matters worse, when you're a workaholic like I have a tendency to be, getting everything done can doggone near kill ya! It nearly did me back in 2011. As it turns out, it was my slap in the face with ice-cold water, and a serious wake-up call. After several out-of-the-blue trips to the ER in the back of an ambulance, I discovered through a battery of medical tests that my heart's septum wall had thickened abnormally. The doctors had a name for it. LVH, or left ventricular hypertrophy. In my case, it wasn't caused from heredity, or age. It was most likely caused by my lifestyle. Years of overwork, excess fatigue, and stressing out about "having to do it all and get it all done today" were finally paying unwanted dividends. For the first several months after my diagnosis, I lived in denial, clinging to my old lifestyle habits like old friends. Truth was, my old lifestyle habits of "git r' done now" were my enemies. One day, in the midst of checking off a long list of "to do's", I heard a whisper in my spirit. "Only one thing is necessary." And I thought immediately about the Bible story of Mary, and the ultimate workaholic - my soul-sister, Martha.
Anybody seen Martha? Oh yeah, she's in the
kitchen, but wishin' she was ropin'!
You might remember the Bible story. If not, here's my take on it. Jesus, along with other guests, had come to spend an evening and have dinner at Mary and Martha's home. Martha was the consumate hostess and party planner. Always efficient and organized, she spent days planning and preparing the meal, cleaning the house, etc. Everything had to be perfect. After all, the guest was none other than Jesus. But by the time Jesus arrived, and the evening was well underway, Martha was completely frazzled and exhausted. Finally, at the end of her rope (yes, the one she team ropes with on weekends, and also the one she is considering hanging Mary with), she just happened to notice sweet Mary sitting casually at the feet of Jesus. She also noticed that Mary was enthralled in His presence, enjoying a relaxed conversation with Him, and probably sipping some fine, lemony, herbal tea. Finally, Martha, who was anything but relaxed by now, could contain herself and her feelings no more. As she glared intently at Mary, she threw her apron, and her "I'm the resident cook" hat, to the wind, - and she marched swiftly over to the corner where Mary and Jesus were sitting, and threw the first verbal punch.
"Can't anybody see that there is work to be done around here? What am I, - the maid? I could sure use a little help!", Martha proclaimed loud enough for all the guests to hear. And then, looking straight at the Lord, she commanded, "Tell her, Jesus!" And suddenly the game was on! Admittedly, something inside of every woman who has ever been over-worked, and felt kinda under-appreciated, rises up at times like this. It's the signature emotion of true sisterhood, and so we chant from the sidelines,
"That's exactly right, Martha. You go, girlfriend!"
And so, with her finger extended straight at Mary, she demanded that Jesus tell her sister to get off her lazy hiney and help out with the chores! But to her surprise, instead of sympathizing with Martha's position, or doing as she asked, Jesus simply commended Mary for having made the best choice, and use of her time. He told Martha, "Only one thing is really neccesary, and Mary has chosen the better thing." Clearly, Jesus viewed time spent with Him as being more important than anything else, even more important than "working" for Him! In fact, in the grand scheme of things, it was the one and only thing that was really necessary. Time with Him. Talk about a reality check and a lesson in priorities for tired, ol' Martha!
As for me, my "Mary and Martha" epiphany came back in 2011 with the LVH diagnosis. I was working one of my horses in the roundpen. I had already mowed the lawn that day, run errands, cleaned the house, done the laundry, and finished all the office work. I had also set out some tomato plants, answered emails, and cleaned the garage. Wow, I was thinking to myself, "Am I ahead today, or what!" NOT! Suddenly, my heart started beating fast, and breathing was tough. Things began to swirl, and I felt like I was fading away. I looked across the roundpen at my horse who was looking back at me with a strange expression on his face as if trying to figure out what was happening. In a brief moment of clarity, I managed to pull out my cell phone, and struggled to tap the speed-dial button. Fortunately, for me, my husband was nearby. A few minutes later, I found myself in the back of an ambulance, and on my way to the hospital. And then, finally, the Doctor's orders rang loud and clear,
"Either slow down and learn to prioritize, cowgirl, or you may be hanging your boots up for good next time!"
I can be pretty hard-headed. Okay, a lot hard-headed, but I know heavenly-advice when I hear it. And I knew the doctor was right. Since then, I've changed my ways, - completely. You might say, I've finally got my priorities in line. Sorta feels like being set free in a strange way. Yep, I know. It's spring, and there's so much to do, - the kind of "stuff" that just can't wait. "Stuff" that can't be done without me, and you, and well, afterall, who will do it if we don't? Trust me, somebody else can, and will! For example, think about it...
If I'd kicked the bucket back in 2011, I have no doubt my husband's second wife would now be enjoying the spoils of all my back-breaking, hard work today! So why do I feel so compelled to get all this "stuff" done? When you think about it, - it just don't make much sense, does it?
Whew, - glad I've come to my senses. In fact, when I get through with this newsletter, I think I'll go saddle up my favorite horse, take a nice relaxing ride, and just spend some quiet time with the Lord. Maybe I'll even sip on some hot, lemony, herbal tea beneath a shade tree. Wow - have I got my priorities in line, or what! Of course, I'm just joking with you about the herbal tea (maybe)! But ya know, truth is, in the long run, I guess it really just comes down to one thing. Life is short, and at the end of the ride, we all find out that only one thing was ever really necessary after-all. What's that? The time we spent with Him. Let's make it count!
The most important thing you will do today
is spend time with God, - praising Him, loving Him, worshipping Him, getting to know Him. That is your #1 priority today. And it is the only thing that is really necessary.
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