Turn on the Light

I didn't turn on the light, and my ginger tea made quite a mess. Now that I'm thinking about it, I have no idea why I didn't turn the lamp on, but I didn't. My morning routine is pretty simple. Start the coffee, take my morning meds, spend time in prayer as I drink my morning coffee.

Several mornings a week I do a 20-minute Taebo workout with Billy Blanks after coffee and prayer. It sounds more impressive than it is. Billy Blanks is leading me via YouTube and it's pretty low key, but at least I'm getting in a little movement before breakfast.

About 15 years ago I discovered that ginger has natural antihistamine properties. My lifelong allergy cough had become an issue once again. I suppose a couple decades of allergy shots had calmed things down for a while even after I got tired of the allergy shot routine and stopped taking them. However, the coughing eventually returned with a vengeance.

I started grating ginger root and steeping it in hot water for a while before filling the pitcher with cold water and stashing it in the fridge. As long as I drink a glass of the tea each morning the cough mostly stays away. Why I decided to take my morning glass of ginger tea up to the bonus room to meet with Billy I do not know. I usually drink it with breakfast.

That is way too much information. I've noticed lately that I've started giving way more information than needed. Not sure why. Something else to wonder about I suppose.

The point I'm getting to, ever so slowly, is if I had turned the lamp on before setting my tea on the table, I wouldn't have had such a mess. I would have seen the coaster and set the glass fully on it, rather than half on and half off, causing it to instantly tip over when I took my hand away.

The coffee table had several small stacks of books (not a surprise I'm sure) on it along with a candle and a couple of favorite knick-knacks. After getting towels, carefully removing the books and drying the ones that had gotten wet as well as the candle and the knick-knacks plus drying the floor where the tea had made its way off the table, I thought boy I wish I would have turned on the lamp and prevented this whole mess.

When I fumble around in the dark, accidents happen that could have easily been prevented with light.

I'm sure you see where I'm going here. Letting the Light of the World make things easier at the start is better than having to clean up messes in the end.

It's easy to get comfortable in familiar situations or relationships. We get so used to doing things a certain way that the thought that something different may be better doesn't even occur to us. Maybe taking more time to let God's word be "a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths" (Psalm 119:105) would prevent a few messes. I wasted a lot of time cleaning up the spilled tea, but nowhere near as much time and effort as it takes to clean up thoughtless, hurtful words that spill from my mouth or trying to make up for something I should have done or should not done in relationships with others.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and so many unnecessary messes can be prevented by stepping in the light rather than the shadows of our own reasoning.

Stepping in the Light

By E. E. Hewitt

1. Trying to walk in the steps of the Savior,

Trying to follow our Savior and King,

Shaping our lives by His blessed example,

Happy, how happy, the songs that we bring.

Refrain:

How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior,

Stepping in the light,

Stepping in the light;

How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior,

Led in paths of light.

2. Pressing more closely to Him who is leading

When we are tempted to turn from the way,

Trusting the arm that is strong to defend us,

Happy, how happy, our praises each day.

3. Walking in footsteps of gentle forbearance,

Footsteps of faithfulness, mercy and love,

Looking to Him for the grace freely promised,

Happy, how happy, our journey above.

4. Trying to walk in the steps of the Savior,

Upward, still upward we'll follow our Guide;

When we shall see Him, the King in His beauty,

Happy, how happy, our place at His side.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:17

"The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." Romans 13:12