Ok, so here's the thing, life doesn't go according to your plans.
Inspired thinking there, huh?
Right now I'm sitting here writing a post that I've been longing to write for the past week when I should be doing any of six other things- and it's frustrating. But of late, my life has been a Series of Frustrating Events. I don't like it and I think its time I sat down and dealt with it (but that's another story). A week and a half ago I had what I thought was a Brilliant Idea for a blog post and have been trying to get it written out but life, real life, has been thwarting me and I am ready to throw in the towel and forget that I still have another batch of cookies to bake and cool, forget I haven't finished (much less had any progress starting) my BSF lesson this week, (again!*headdesk*), and that I have two books from Bethany House waiting my attention- not to mention the two others I got for Christmas and haven't had time to touch and just write what comes to heart...
So here was my Brilliant Idea: This February is Leap Year.
This February is the one that comes every four and gives us an extra day.
This February I will have one extra day to Do Something.
The Psalmist makes a point of telling us: 'This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it' (Ps. 118:24) but I wonder in how many of our days we heed that? As I started thinking about what Leap Day is or means I wondered if Leap Day was a day that comes every four years and acts like a wake up call for us- or could act like a wake up call for us.
We live our lives day by day, we pack in all the activity and busyness and life, real life that it can hold and we move into the next day on the calendar, usually asleep, day by day by day.... What Leap Day has reminded me of this year is that each day no matter the measure of productivity or busyness or level of frustration is a day given to me by God. It's a day to rejoice in, be glad in. A day to redeem with service to God.
When I posted my Brilliant Idea I really wanted to be able to say I had figured out how to do that. I wanted to be able to say that I had thought of something amazing to do on Leap Day that would redeem my time, that would be useful and good and inspiring... The thing is, right now I'm working on the rejoice part and the be glad part. Thing is, I'm (still!!) working on life not going according to plan.
So if today when you wake up and stare Leap Day in the face and try to treat it the same way you treat every day take a second look at it. Take a second look at how you can redeem it and Do Something in it if you can. But if like me, you have been having a Series of Frustrating Events take a look at Leap Day and say Today is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad it in.
And in four years, maybe I'll have it together enough to be just a bit Brilliant on Leap Day....
