Little Things

As I sat down to begin my morning devotions, I realized I was thirsty, so I went to the kitchen to get something to drink. I walked through the kitchen door and saw the dishes I had washed the previous night still in the drainboard. I packed them away.

When I finished, I noticed the laundry basket in front of the dryer. It reminded me there was still a load of clothes in the dryer and one in the washer.

I placed the dry clothes into the basket and moved the ones in the washer to the dryer. Then I wondered why I had originally come into the kitchen.

When I remembered, I looked at the clock and realized I had used a big chunk of my devotional time doing little things. I shook my head as I retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge and headed back to my devotional area. I felt annoyed at how easily distracted I had been by what I call “little things”—things that are not urgent and can be taken care of at a later time. The dishes had been in the drainboard all night.

They could have stayed there until I had finished my devotions—or even later. The same could be said for the clothes in the dryer and the washer.

I was thankful I did not have to go to work that day so I could complete all my devotional activities. However, if it had been a workday, I would have had to decide what to leave undone: the devotional thought, Bible reading, Sabbath School lesson? What about my prayer time before and after my devotions? Would I skip my reflection time? All of these are vital in my personal devotion time. As I sat down to begin my devotions that morning, I asked God to forgive me for being distracted. I thanked Him for reminding me how easy it is to get caught up by the “little things” and asked Him to help me not be distracted from my time with Him by them. The moments we spend with God are precious. They equip us for our day, give us strength for our Christian journey, and prepare us for the kingdom. Watch out for those “little things”!

Barbara J. Walker