Daily Devotional for June 14

 

June 14                                                          Luke 19:11-27

When my spouse goes away for a few days I relax my vigil
over the house and myself. I leave shoes in the living room,
dirty dishes in the sink, and the bed unmade. And sometimes
I don't even get out of the bed at all.

When my spouse goes away I am left in sole custody of what
is ours. The responsibilities are mine, the pleasures are mine.
It's up to me alone to keep the home fires burning. I'm not
alone forever, and my spouse is not "the head of the house,"
but there is something in me which labors harder when she
is present in the space which is ours.

I find that I treat my space with God the same way. When
all is right with my world and I feel that "God is away," I
get lax. I let some of the little things go. I'm not so attentive
to my prayer time. I get caught up in my life in the world.
I forget to talk with God as I go through my day. Yet God
"comes back" when I run into trouble that I can't handle and
need to be extricated from a difficult situation. It's then that
I remember the talents God gave me to manage my life.

I see that some of my friends use their talents whether they
experience the presence of God or not. They seem to go on
even when they don't feel that God is right there with them.
They seem to know that they have been charged with respon-
sibility which doesn't end just because "the head of the house"
is away.

Think about your reaction to the feeling that God has "taken
a trip." Do you leave your spiritual dishes lying dirty in the
sink? Or do you spiritually vacuum an extra time in case of
an early return?

What do you do when "the head of the house" is away?

​

 

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.198