The Daily Things Alert

This morning, I woke up, got out of bed, poured the water in the coffee maker, switched on the hot plate, walked down the hallway, turned up the AC, opened the door to the garage, turned off the alarm system, walked back in the kitchen, poured my now  finished coffee, strolled back down the hallway past the AC to the garage door, opened the door, checked to see if the alarm was off... wait, I just told you I already did that, so you know I did that. Why don't I know? The obvious answer to me is related to the fact that my morning behavior is routine. My routines sometimes  lose themselves in the day because they are automatic.

Automaticity is a critical element to learning and attaching information to long term memory,so what's the problem?  A lack of awareness, thoughtfulness, living in the "nowness" of life.

Take a moment and check off a list of things you do routinely every day. Like myself, you probably find the number surprisingly long. I am not saying life is to be without repetition. It is a crucial part of our balance, but the word balance becomes key. When our routines place themselves at the head of our life, and we begin doing even the smallest of  daily things without thoughtfulness, thankfulness, and vitality, we are sacrificing rich moments of living in a manner similar to erased words on a chalk board. A faint trace of the words linger on the board in the form of white dust, but the words are gone only to be replaced with new words, and unless someone takes notes, they are lost.

There is a verse in the new testament that always bothered me in  its coldness. It is a message to the church in Laodicea in Revelations 3:15-16. It reads, "I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Ouch! They had become so complacent in everyday living and commerce that they lost true zeal for a rich life connected to God. If I could go back in a time machine and watch how they handled daily things, I imagine their personal lives would look very much like ours today, only the scenery would be different. The words "I am about to spit you out of my mouth" is our alert.

Thank you,God, that in the seeming harshness of this message is the grace and renewal available for each of us for each new moment. Thank you for letting me know without a doubt that your desire is not to spit me out, but to love me. Give me the awareness each day to be thoughtful and thankful in even the smallest of routines; remind me of things I should note before that moment is erased. I love you.

Love, Linda