Maintenance and Preventive Maintenance

Where I'm at: Front yard sitting on the bench
Weather: Warm and Sunny around 80 degrees
Noises: Birds chirping
Sights: Freshly mowed lawn
Mood: Satisfied, Accomplished

Today, I did a lot of "maintenance" around the house. Just normal household chores:

• straightened my room
• washed, dried, folded and actually put away clothes
• emptied the dishwasher, put dishes away, straightened kitchen
• pain stakingly removed all the sticker burrs from the blanket and sleeping from 2 weeks ago!
• mowed the lawn

I'm typically not a "maintenance" kind of person. I'm a procrastinator. The dull, boring, every day, once a week chores I usually ignore until it gets so bad I HAVE to do something about it. And then I get mad and lecture myself for not doing it on a regular basis, so it wouldn't be such a big job now. I wonder if there is maintenance in Heaven? hmmm....

Anyway, as I was mowing the lawn today, I had a conversation with God - what do you want to say to me to day, Lord? As you can guess from my blog title, the topic was "maintenance" and "preventive maintenance". Not only in my daily life - chores, work, car, body - but in my spiritual life as well. I don't know why, or where I got this notion from; but I tend to think "once " ought to be enough! But, as we all know, that just isn't true, reasonable or even possible.

I looked up the definition of maintenance and preventive maintenance.

• Maintenance -care or upkeep, as of machinery or property; means of upkeep, support, or subsistence; livelihood.
• Preventive Maintenance - Changes made to a system to avoid possible future problems. Maintenance (including inspection, cleaning, and repair) of equipment on a regular basis that is sufficient to prevent unplanned failure

Things grow, change, get dirty, wear out, break, and get dusty (like my shoes<:). Daily maintenance and preventive maintenance is important if I want my life to be sane, organized, calm and successful. It's common sense. But it takes discipline and time, which I usually have little of. It's a vicious circle, because if I took the time to be disciplined in this area of my life, I'd have more free time because I am disciplined! (That can make your head spin, if you think about it too long!<:)

OK, God. I hear You. I need to work on maintenance and preventive maintenance in my life - all aspects of it. Give me wisdom, perseverance and passion to take the time to be disciplined in the little things in my life - spiritual as well as physical. I want all the blessings You have stored up for me - just waiting for me to be ready to receive them.

Matthew 25:21 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master."