This morning...

It's 11:30 on Wednesday morning here in Sevilla, and Maggie and I are both still in our beds...reading, on our computers, and sipping on our morning coffee (well, coffee for me...but she drinks tea).  Today is Labor Day aka no school!!  I woke up with a lot on my mind...honestly, I was just quite frustrated with myself for how I have let the little things get the best of me these last few days.  Isn't it so easy to get bogged down by the minor details in life???!!  And recently, I have found myself wanting to be so CONTROLLING over my last few days here in Sevilla.  Each day, I wake up with my mental agenda: when am I gonna go running...when am I gonna write my paper/do my homework...when am I gonna just "be around the house" so I am still present for Cristina...when am I gonna respond to those emails...when am I gonna take time for myself to read my Kindle...ALL WHILE LIVING IT UP DURING THIS FINAL STRETCH IN A CITY I LOVE?  Goodness gracious, why is it that this to-do list so often gets the best of me??  And here in Sevilla, I feel like I'm in this mental battle of trying to relax and rest and trust that the Lord has me here to just DWELL...and then the very next second, I'm back to old Mary Carr...scattered and stressed and wondering about the next thing I need to get DONE.

Lord, help me fix my eyes on You.  These last 11 days, Lord, help me invest my time in something that doesn't go away when I go back to the States...and that is YOU.  You never leave us, You never forsake us, and You hold our hands through the ups and the downs.  Thank You for knowing me and forgiving me and teaching me.  Lord, You know that I will always struggle with the need to feel "productive," and even though I KNOW my value comes only from YOU, guide me in this world where success is measured in other ways.

May this verse be a reminder to all of us that He delights in our worship...and not our works.

Psalm 147:10-11. "His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love."

Tune my heart today, and every day, so that my desires are Yours.  Thank You for loving me and my SCATTERED self!!!  Help me know how to LOVE like You love us.

And Thank You for speaking to me this morning through Tony Reinke's post on the Desiring God blog.

.......

The heart, let’s say, is a violin — a beautiful and delicate instrument made to make beautiful pleasing notes in the ear of its Maker. Previously stringless and useless, now refurbished in Christ, the violin fluctuates daily, finds itself so often out of tune, expands and contracts by the humidity or dryness of the seasons and the situation. Every day, several times throughout the day, the soul must be re-tuned again.

Joy in God is the pitch for our lives. Every day, several times throughout the day, the soul must be re-tuned again. But joy is the aim.

This metaphor is especially striking when we assume our screeching, scratching tuneless heart-conditions cannot be justified by our circumstances. Rejoicing in God is a 24/7 command. The pitchfork hum is the sound of Philippians 4:4 — “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”