“Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.” Psalm 111:1

Two Hands, Please!

My little, old kitty is becoming pretty high-maintenance the older she gets. She wants to be brushed, fed often (and heartily), and given a lot of affection, which I’m happy to give. But she never fails to remind me of my own sometimes “half-hearted” attention.

I’ll bend down to give her a little pat with one hand, and it never fails. She looks up toward my other hand that I’m holding back, as if to say, “Hey buddy, that hand’s not busy; get it in on the action, too!” Only when I put both hands into the rubdown does she look content. Hmm…

I got to thinking of my own sometimes “half-hearted” attention and devotion to Jesus. I can praise Him in the “assembly of the upright”, even raising both hands, but is my “heart far from Him” (Matthew 15:8)? This happens more times than I care to admit.

I have to stop and say to God, “I’m sorry, Lord. My mind is all over the map! Please help me focus on You!” And in His mercy, He does!

The beauty of walking with Jesus is that He never demands our worship. And He most certainly doesn’t put us on a guilt trip when our feeble brains drift off. But He does absolutely keep His eye on the “idols” of our hearts. And so should we. Far too often, something as mundane as picking out new carpet colors can sideline me for a week. It can be a necessary task, but it can also be a trap if I’m not careful.

Lord Jesus, please help us worship You with “two hands” and whole hearts. You deserve all the glory! Amen and amen!