NOT ME!

It was one of those weeks; I knew that the house would suffer neglect. So, I cleaned it up and told everyone, "The dishwasher is receiving. Please make sure the dishes go into it." By Thursday, I looked into the kitchen with dread. When I asked everyone who did put his or her dishes in the sink and not in the dishwasher, I heard a unanimous, "Not Me!" Okay, so that meant that at least forty something times "Not Me" visited our home. This began the typical Mommy drama of, "What is a leader..." A leader sees something that needs to be done and simply does it. A leader does not wait to be told and a leader owns the situation even when he or she had nothing to do with it. What would have happened if David said, "Not Me!" when he saw the vision for building God's temple? Or if his son Solomon said, "Not Me!" when given the opportunity to fulfill that vision. Nehemiah did not say, "Not Me! I am the cupbearer to the king," when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem were falling down, he risked speaking to the king about the situation and in return was blessed with permission and provision. What would happen in our homes, churches and communities if each person made a conscious choice to NOT say, "Not Me!" What if the reason you see the need is because it is to be you? What if you washed the dish and put it away? What if you served on that ministry team, went on that mission trip, taught that Sunday School, became a deacon, planted a church, or took that meal? What if you shared Jesus with your neighbor, colleague or checkout clerk and didn't leave it up to someone else? Maybe, we might have fewer dirty dishes and more saved souls. Both make for cleaner environments! Let's make it our New Year's resolution to get rid of the "Not Me's" in our vocabulary and take the time to pause and pray, "Is it me?" Then just do it for the glory of the LORD! Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10 Simply, Tara