Quick Showers

I profess to be a busy person. At one point in my life, I was working two full time jobs. My day job was at the daycare center that my Mom and I owned. I arrived at 6:30 am and worked until 5:30 pm. At that time, about 3 days a week, I would leave and go do home demonstrations for a direct sales company that sold home decor and accessories. After a full day of having little people secrete bodily fluid all over me, I usually needed a shower (USUALLY....like it was an option if I didn’t want to be the ‘stinky kid’!)

So when the 5:30 whistle would blow, I’d dash out the door, rush to my house 4 blocks away and prepare for a full evening of entertaining adults, where I was virtually assured that no one would wipe anything on me, and that I could actually speak in complete sentences and use words that contained more than 3 letters. I also got to don attire that did not have elastic and a drawstring waistl In preparation for this, I would jump in the shower and get myself ready in record time.

I learned to shower, shampoo, shave, dry, blow dry and apply make up in less than 10 minutes. I may have had better times depending on my hairstyle and how far I had to drive for the evening’s show. Many times, my mother would be amazed at how quickly she saw my vehicle exit town after my departure from work.

This fancy footwork prepared me for motherhood. When you are a single mom, and your baby is screaming in her infant seat in the middle of the floor while you are getting ready for an event, you’d better be quick on your feet and fast in the shower! No time for lazily enjoying the warm massageof the showerhead. No time to make sure all the little rows of hair have disappeared from your legs. Be glad if you get 85% of them and don't have blood streaming down your leg from all of the nicks and cuts. No time to make sure that the blush is all blended into your cheekbones in Mary Kay fashion- just be glad you have color on them!

Does God call us to rush about like this? Does it glorify Him to enter the public eye with a semi-wet head and eyeliner askew? I don’t think so. I did for a long time. I rationalized my business by saying I was working hard and providing for my family. I felt compelled to push the envelope....to fill my time.

In doing so, I left no time for a relationship with Him. When can you concentrate on talking and listening to His will for your life when you haven’t even dedicated enough time in your schedule to go to the bathroom? How can we expect to fulfill God’s promise when we don’t know what it is? In order to KNOW, we need to go SLOW. Repeat after me....In order to KNOW, we need to go SLOW. Say it five times slowly, put down the soap, close your eyes and enjoy your long, hot shower. As long as your eyes are closed, you may as well say a prayer. Now you’re headed in the right direction!