Too Much of a Good Thing
I absolutely love my office in our Welsh home. Unlike my workspace in our house in Greenville, SC, this room is entirely dedicated to office work. No bed, closet, piano, or anything else. Just desks, filing cabinets, and bookcases. And don’t let me forget the beautiful view of the Welsh hills beyond the sliding glass doors that occupy the entire front wall of my office. Breathtaking!
The one thing I noticed about this room is that it gets chilly in the winter. Because of the wall of glass, it can be a tad drafty, especially on windy days. That being the case, I have a small electric heater I can turn on whenever the need arises. And it didn’t take long to discover Tess’s favorite spot in my office is snuggled up right in front of the heater.
The tricky thing is I have to keep an eye on her because she likes to be touching the heater. She lays up against it so close that I fear she’ll singe her hair. We joke with her about “toasting her buns,” but I honestly worry that she may hurt herself getting so close (not to mention she’s blocking all the heat). So, anytime I notice she’s gotten too close, I drag her away from it a bit and assure her I’m just looking out for her.
Like Tess, I’m also prone to seek out too much of a good thing. Sometimes, it’s in the form of food. Other times, it’s recreation, social media, or television. It’s not that any of these things are wrong. It’s just that they need to be consumed in moderation. Too much food results in weight gain, guilt, and self-loathing. Too much recreation can cause us to lose track of our priorities and forsake the most important things in our lives. Too much social media often leads to discontentment, disagreements, and unhealthy competition. And too much television can result in anxiety, unrealistic expectations, and apathy toward “real life.”
Sometimes, our Master has to steer us away from certain things because He cares enough not to want harm to come to us. He’s not being cruel or unloving. Quite the opposite. He’s doing what’s best for us because sometimes we’re too blinded by what feels good to understand that we’re putting ourselves in a harmful situation.
Trust the Master and His undying love for you. If He’s urging you away from something or someone, understand that it truly is for your good. Tess isn’t usually thrilled when I shift her away from the heater, but I know she trusts my judgment because she stays where I put her, and before long, she’s sleeping contentedly. May we have the good sense to trust our Master as much!
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6