Potty Training Devotion

Here I am simply one week into potty training. It has gone pretty well, with its ups and downs. I finally came to this conclusion on Saturday night...

Isabelle knows what to do, but doesn't do it.

Everytime I put her on the potty she goes! She is pleased with herself. However, if I forget to take her to the potty, or she had to go again less than a half hour later, she wets herself. She knows what to do when I sit her on the potty. She knows what potty is. She understands the process. But, in her immaturity or in the midst of a distraction (something more interesting is happening) she doesn't realize her need for the potty and so she wets herself. She knows that she has gone potty and knows that she needed to sit on the toilet, but either chose not or she isn't aware of the urge to go. Well, since this whole process has suddenly consumed much of our time together and much of my thoughts, I began to think...uh oh....never good! Haha.

I thought about how many times in my own life or I've seen in the lives of others that we know exactly what to do, but just don't do it! I thought of a few things in particular:

Losing Weight- EVERYONE knows the key to weight loss is a healthy, controlled diet and exercise. I know what it takes to lose weight- but I don't do it. I don't always eat healthy and rarely "have time" to exercise.

Quiet Time- Most Christians know what a quality spiritual life looks like and knows that it involves personal quiet time with the Lord. I know that great elements of this personal study and development of my relationship with Christ involves getting into God's Word- the Bible, prayer, worship, etc. I know it takes devotion and time and setting it as a priority. I know how to have quiet time, but how often do I actually do it? Yikes thats a spanking if I've seen one. How embarassing as a Christian to know exactly what I need to do to further my relationship with Christ, but don't do it. Ok, with that thought I'm going to go huddle in the corner and cower!

Lo and Behold, these thoughts came to me Saturday night when I was up at my parent's house for the weekend. I went to my parent's church the next morning looking forward to hearing my dad preach. What do you know but my dad preached on a passage in James chapter 4- these verses in particular:

13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Well, I was immediately drawn to verse 17 "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." My dad used this verse to explain the sin of ommission. He talked about how we try to cut out God by deliberate action or concious inaction. Wow- Ok God, why do I get the feeling you may be trying to teach me something? How often do I pass by a person in the line at the grocery store and don't even say a word to them when I might be the only shining example of Christ they see that day? Why do I not obey those promptings of randomly giving someone in need something? To think that my lack of action could be a sin is a tremendous thought.

As I sat in the pew with an internal discipline session going on in my head, I was encouraged by this verse:

John 13:17

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

If I deliberately cut out God by my actions or inaction, I am sinning. But if I obey His promptings and DO the things I know I should, I will be blessed. Quite the extreme. Quite the motivation.

While my thoughts are still being fine tuned and this blog is certianly not the extend of all that has gone on in my little head the past couple of days, I feel as though I have learned a very important lesson. Thanks to my potty training devotion, I have become aware of my inaction and I am bound and determined to do something to fix it.