I HATE SATAN . . . and clutter

I got off the phone the other day after visiting with someone for quite a while and hearing about how satan has completely deceived someone they love very much. I was in the van and just hit my fist on the steering wheel and screamed "I HATE YOU SATAN!! I hate what you do to the people I love. I hate how you deceive them into thinking they deserve to be coddled by the things of this world. I hate how they believe your stupid lies and how I know you gloat in the fact that, in their failures, others suffer as well: their children, their parents, their husbands or wives, and anyone else who may have watched them when they were walking with the Lord. I HATE YOU! LEAVE THE ONES I LOVE ALONE!!!!!" Do you think he heard me? You bet he did! And so did most of Ennis, Texas. I did realize later that my cheerleading training in 'how to yell' had completely left my mind, because my throat was sore the next day. That screaming came from nowhere near the diaphragm. Because it was hysterical. I'm surprised my eyeballs weren't bloodshot. That's how mad I was. The fact is, I probably need to get that mad more often. Maybe my praying would become more fervent and we would see more victories. I remember talking with a mom once about her daughter and how she had wandered so far from the Lord. She told me that when she got frustrated with her daughter's sin and disobedience, she would go and take a bath and pray for peace. I told her that if a man came in and grabbed her daughter and tried to take her off with him, she would be right in the middle of him and physically do everything she could to make sure she was safe. She would be MAD. Then I told her that this very thing was happening and, though not physically, her daughter was being carried away. She better climb outta that tub, wipe the bubbles off and fight for her precious daughter. Tears streaming down her face, she said "I hope it's not too late." I wanted to weep.

In Proverbs 31:27 it says "She looks well to the ways of her household and eats not the bread of idleness." Your children are gonna hate that you are about to know what this verse means. One of the definitions for "looks well" is "to spy". What? Go through her drawers, check her cell phone? You bet. If you know what is going on in her life, you know how to pray, you know how to train. It is our job as parents to train them up. To help them make right decisions. Let them know that you are on their side. That in teaching them to follow God's rules you are preparing them to stand before Him one day. I can already hear someone say, "I would NEVER infringe on my child's privacy!" I visit with adults now that would give anything to have had parents that cared enough to keep them on the right path. To keep them out of harm's way. We are supposed to help them learn how to be lights in a dark world. Besides, if you go through her drawers, you can clean out all the clothing she hasn't worn in 3 years, but is keeping it for sentimental value. Which brings me to the other thing I hate.

Clutter. I don't make New Year's resolutions anymore because I would just be setting myself up to fail. I've never kept one. It is only natural, though, that at this time of year, one would think about what that resolution would be if there was to be one. Mine would be to get rid of clutter. I'm on a mission to declutter. Not because it is the New Year, mind you, I just hate clutter. It has never made me mad enough to hit the steering wheel, but I have growled before when looking for something in one of the stacks of papers that "I might need one day". According to flylady.net, I not only have house clutter, I also have body clutter. There is nothing about clutter that is good. As a matter of fact, I think it probably fell from the heavens with satan and a third of the angels way back at the beginning of time. I can see them falling now: desk clutter, kitchen cabinet clutter, closet clutter, and drawer clutter. Then there is car clutter, porch clutter, barn clutter and ground clutter (ground clutter?)! All falling from the sky with their little evil laughter ringing through the heavens. Just mocking me.

I was dealing with brain clutter the other day and did something my friend Lauren told me about. She said she has a friend that has what she calls a "brain dump" every once in awhile and writes down all that is in her brain so it is out where she can prioritize and get things done. I did it and it felt really good. Now I have several "Brain Dump" pages in a stack by my bed. I will start tackling the body clutter thing when I find my Total Gym under all the holiday decorations.