Y’all know how when you bought your home or a car and you had to sign your name something like 4 zillion times on 48 thousand pieces of paper … all in about 4 minutes or less? I always wanted to say to the poor unsuspecting car salesman or the polite girl at the title company… Could you give me a few hours while I read through all this first? Seriously.
Supposedly that stuff is all related to something called the Truth In Lending Act designed to protect innocent consumers like you and me, but evidently you have to be a competitive speed reader and near genius to be covered by said governmental protection. I mean… who has ever read all that stuff? And if we did read it all would we even have a clue about what it actually means? I can answer both of those questions with a quick No and No.
Rest assured, faithful blog readers. Today you’re not going to get Truth in Lending, but rather Truth in Stairs. You may read at your own leisurely pace, and I promise even the tiniest of minds can comprehend. Consider the author. Enough said.
So I told you on Tuesday that I was attempting to create Sacred Space in my life. I also told you that I was pretty much failing miserably. Alas, the late night post from yesterday. But, really, I have all kinds of excuses for yesterday’s failure. I had a late night in the hospital with friends on Wednesday. So I might’ve attempted to sleep in a little on Thursday. Delay sacred spaces ever so slightly. And then I got a phone call from Logan (oldest son in Dallas). And, there was this little matter about how he had sold his car and needed that magic little document they call the title… which was in some tiny little box in the bank where you have to have the magic key and say the magic password to get it out. There was all sorts of consternation about the key… and the retrieval… and a quick jaunt to Waco… and then a necessary, but unplanned trip to Dallas. In my tiny little brain I thought I’d throw on some clothes and go “sans makeup and clean hair,” grab that title and get myself back home to some sacred space.
But that quick jaunt to Waco turned into a stop at Lowe’s and Bear Mountain and then Walmart… and who would know what I couldn’t get at Walmart that also necessitated a trip to HEB. And there might have been Hobby Lobby and Starbucks stops in there somewhere. So I found myself pulling in the driveway at 3pm. Oh, sweet mercy! Brad said he wanted to leave for Dallas at 5pm. I barely have time to get the truck unpacked and throw myself together. Sacred Space will have to wait. And then Brad pulls in the driveway at 4:30pm and announces he is ready to go. Of course he is! In his brain, 4:30pm is a lot like 5pm, and any good woman should be ready at all times. Do. Not. Go. There.
But the Truth in Stairs is this:
Now you’ve ceased to read at your own leisurely pace, and just like me, you’re probably feeling a bit guilty and maybe a bit antsy. You know that what I’m really talking about is excuses, but you’re probably also wondering how stairs got into the picture.
Just like this:
Part of my Sacred Space daily routing was supposed to be an hour for exercise, but BLAST this weather! Freezing cold outside… and treadmill is in garage. So I walked stairs on Monday and Tuesday… 20 sets. Up, down, one. Up, down, two. 15 steps up, 15 steps down, three. 600 steps. Can anyone say BORING?! I forced myself to walk them on Wednesday, but I told myself it was so boring that I would split them into two sets of 10. What is perfectly ridiculous about this is that is takes only mere minutes to walk 20 sets. MERE. MINUTES.
So what I’m really telling you is Truth in Stairs…
I’m lazy and unmotivated when it comes to exercise.
My heart is not in it.
I have no self-discipline in this area of my life.
There. Truth in Stairs. No 4 zillion places to sign on 48 kazillion pieces of paper. Just the honest-to-goodness truth.
So this morning I awoke with fresh conviction. Do. This. Or. Die.
Ok, it might not have been that strong, but it was definitely conviction, and it sprung from the VERY words I preached to the mirror yesterday. If I am truly grateful for the healthy body God has given me, I will keep it holy. I will be set apart. I will take sacred space to care for my body.
So my Truth in Stairs sounded like this today:
Up… God, I don’t like cold weather, but You’ve blessed me with a new day.
Down… God, may I use this day for Your purposes and to your glory.
One.
Up… God, I lift prayers for every friend I know struggling with illness.
Down… God, thank You for my healthy body.
Two.
Up… God, thank you for the gift of this home and these stairs, especially in this cold weather.
Down… God, I pray for every single person suffering from the cold this morning. May Your love warm them.
Three.
And so went the Truth in Stairs this morning. A dialogue with God every step of the way. Thanking Him and praising Him. Seeking Him and trusting Him.
I finished 40 SETS with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.
Psalm 119:133, “Direct my footsteps according to Your word; let no sin rule over me.”
#truthinstairs
Walk with Him!
