Much to my husband’s dismay, I rarely put gas in my car until there is nothing short of a prayer left in the tank. I consider it efficient time management as I prioritize the tasks on my list. Getting gas becomes the top “to-do” when the warning light comes on. Until then, I have baseball pants to clean and a prom dress to acquire.
My rationale is lost on my darling hubby. To him, running the tank too low is not only dangerous, it’s bad for the car. Safety factor noted. Yet, I question his “damaging to the car theory” noting the existence of the alert system, the capacity of the large gas tank, the design of the fuel injection system and applicable theories of quantum physics….as he just shakes his head.
I can squeeze as much into a day as I can out of it. I despise wasting time and resources as much as I like efficiently crossing items from my list. My list is constantly reorganized to ensure my focus is appropriately directed. It’s both a strength and a sickness. And because of this continual process of squeezing blood from a turnip, I often feel like my own gas tank is running on empty.
While at work this week, I realized my list had grown longer than manageable even for a cape-wearing mom. I was drained mentally, physically and spiritually. Because of the non stop sports schedule for both kids on top of busy careers for both Eric and I, sleep was nonexistent, the piles of laundry were taking over the house, the cabinets were empty and the freezer lacked anything to give me hope for dinner. So we were literally running on empty! And then the Lord showed me something that stopped me in the middle of my mental dinner prep and list reorg…
“If you run your tank on empty, not only is it not healthy for you, but it will leave you unable to withstand satan’s attacks.”
In my mind I saw the low fuel warning light on my car’s dash. I had been so busy, I had not read the Word or spent any time talking to the Lord. I had been worried about bare cabinets, empty freezers, missed appointments, schedule adjustments, and dirty baseball uniforms. Because I was running on fumes, I was barely able to function much less cope with all that I needed to do.
God does not want us to be lazy but He also knows where our strength comes from. And our #1 priority should be a relationship with Him. As hard as it is to make time, it’s that time that fuels our ability to do everything else. When our tanks are full, God can use us to accomplish more than we could imagine…and His list is much more important and well thought out than mine. Amen!
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance.”
Ephesians 6:18“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…”
1 Peter 5:8-9“But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
Jude 1:20-21
