The Activity Bowl

Ryan was coming home for several days, and I could hardly wait. I was busy for a week with cooking, cleaning, and landscaping. The list of things to do and meals to cook when he was home was so long, it was impossible to accomplish.

I couldn't decide what fun things we should do or when we should do them. Finally, I hit upon a solution for my 23-year old son that was so silly, it was bound to work. 

I took strips of colored paper and wrote one activity on each of the blue pieces of paper, one breakfast menu on each of the white slips, and one lunch on each of the red slips. I put them all in the bowl and shuffled them. Every evening, Ryan would pull one from each color to decide what we'd do the next day.

When I showed Ryan his "choices bowl", he laughed and shook his head, but played along. The first slip he pulled was "paddleboat ride". He grinned. "This was a good idea, after all."

Those silly slips gave Ryan a tiny surprise every day, and gave me a sense of order about the meal preparation. We had a grand time. Not only did we have fun activities, but we also had opportunities for Ryan to learn new skills. Bake bread. Make salsa. Take soil samples from the garden. Go fishing. Hike the Tanglefoot Trail.

A "to do" list might have made some of the activities seem like drudgery, but the slips made it all fun.

In a way, God has a "to do" list for us, too. He has plans for us that are good, but He's not the plan-police. God provides daily opportunities for service, for learning, for worship. It's up to us to accept them.

Every day, we have a fresh opportunity to continue along the path God has for our lives. Every day, we have a fresh opportunity to approach life with zeal and passion, to live in obedience to His ways.

This is almost unbelievable, but the success or failure of God's plan is up to us. Will we choose to follow it, or will we choose our own way? 

Today, let's choose God's ways, God's plans. Let's follow where He leaves. Love whomever He brings our way. Worship Him with more than words. Let's worship Him with our acts of obedience, as well.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10 esv
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Fathers: Heavenly and Earthly

#Mondaymeditation #goodworks #disciple