Elbow In the side

​If for some very odd reason you lurked under the table while we were eating, you may have witnessed me giving my husband a gentle kick for one reason or another... the great thing is that "he knows" what each undercover kick, elbow in the side, or gentle hand squeeze means from me. He speaks my language and reads me pretty well.

Most of the time it means change the subject or it's time to go! There is a message in the contact.

Today as I read His Word and prayed, God showed me some changes I need to make in my life. They are changes that will bring me closer to Him, changes that will help me love others well and ultimately bring glory to God.

I count on my morning routine to get me going, focused and hopefully off to a healthy start. I wake early, walk outside, go the the gym, make my coffee and then sit down to study God's Word, pray and ponder. I love and desperately NEED my quiet time with the Lord. Some of the other things may fall to the side (well, NOT the coffee) but my days often look very different when I haven't prayed and remembered His Word.

I find a place in my house where I am as alone as I can be. If you saw my setup, you would know there isn't much of a space for that, but I do my best. Today as the temperature was only 94° at the crack of dawn (thank you Phoenix) I was able to sit outside away from it all or so I thought.

Yep, you guessed it... another interruption. I found myself irritated and frustrated that there is no where I can go in my home where I can be uninterrupted. Then it hit me. This was my cry to God and this is what I wrote in my prayer journal. "Lord, Help me to not take interruptions as invasions. Walk with me, nudge me, ELBOW ME IN THE SIDE when I act a fool!"

I NEED God to elbow me in the side to remind me to act right. I need his discipline to lead my heart to be more like His. I NEED God, because on my own my heart struggles to love the way it should. I NEED GOD!

Today I prayed for God to do for me what I invite myself to do to my husband. Only difference is the nudges from God are given for my good. The nudges I want to give others don't always stem from a spirit of love, but rather control or judgment.

May God's kindness continue to lead us to repentance. And sometimes His kindness to me looks like a swift kick under the table. Thank you Lord!