Pieces of My Heart

Luke 16:10a Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to bless Clara and Carynne with pancakes for breakfast one morning. Upon my announcement, Clara (4) raced to don her head with her chef's hat and her midsection with her apron. Clara looked as professional as Emeril Lagasse and appeared totally prepared to work as my sous chef, but to make certain I knew she was ready she exclaimed, "Look, Mommy, I'm a shepherd!" Like me, sometimes Clara misses it big on the little stuff.

Today I am reading 1 Corinthians 14:21-40. Paul is continuing his instruction regarding the appropriate times and manner to speak in unknown tongues. There is a broader instruction in this section, though that applies to so many areas of my life. Paul exhorts the church to do everything in a "fitting and orderly way". (Verse 40)

I have a life that tends toward chaos, not order. My natural inclination is towards flying my the seat of my pants, going with the flow and a million other cliches that really just mean that my strength is not planning and organizing. Not shockingly, I do not have the spiritual gift of administration.

If the cry of my heart is to honor God in every area of my life, though, that means doing things God's way instead of mine. The road to becoming more organized has been a slow crawl for me but over the coarse of time, I have seen real, measurable progress.

• I no longer let mail stack up
• I deal with school papers the same day
• I make a weekly meal plan and execute it
• I attempt to do some laundry every day

There are hundreds of little evidences of the true life change Jesus has made in my life. I thank God that my journey with Christ is littered not only with telephone pole-sized change but toothpick-sized change as well.

Today, Jesus, I want to give you another toothpick-my shoes. I have picked up shoes three pairs at a time for my lifetime but now I want to allow You to make me more orderly in just this smallest of ways. I know that the little things I give to You, make big changes in my heart. My home is just the space where my heart dwells. It's my heart You actually want to change. So in giving You my shoes, I'm really giving You another little piece of my heart. After all, You are the Shepherd (or is that Chef?) of my heart.