"from her dressing room"
Joel 2:16
I went to a baby shower today. A friend of mine is going to be a grandmother in a few weeks. It was a lovely afternoon of chatting with some friends I haven't seen in awhile.
Getting ready to go was a little tricky, however. It's January, but it's also been in the 80s lately, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, weather-wise. I get colder quicker than the average bear, so I wanted to wear pants, but I chose a top with three-quarter length sleeves that's very tropical looking. I thought that was perfect because I had some sleeve, but not too much, and the feel of the shirt would be summery. That was important because I knew (and I was right) that a lot of my friends would be in sleeveless dresses and sandals. So I didn't want to look too cold weather-y when they all looked warm weather-y.
I had to give some thought to my shoes, too. I needed to run an errand before going to the shower, so I wore my comfy shoes, and brought my girly shoes to put on at the last minute.
My hair gave me a little bit of trouble today. I think my bangs need to be trimmed, so it took me a little extra work to get my hair to look the way I wanted it to.
It also took me a few minutes to decide on my jewelry. I wear bracelets in warmer weather (short sleeves) but then I put them away for the winter (long sleeves). So I had to get that little box out from the out-of-season storage under my bed.
I thought about changing my purse, to something a little more party-ish, but decided that was too much trouble, and stuck with my regular bag. I don't carry a giant bag anyway, so mine was fine.
Okay, now I'm sure you're wondering why I'm going into such detail about my dressing and primping. And if you know me at all, you know I'm not one to be very concerned about my appearance. I mean, I want to look nice, but I'm not a girl for whom clothes and shoes and purses are a priority. Well here's why I'm giving you all these details:
My friend ~ the one whose daughter and grand-baby we were celebrating ~ asked me, and three other women, to pray over the baby at the close of the shower. She asked us to pray for the baby's mind, heart, spirit and body. Isn't that a lovely idea? My part was to pray for his mind.
Now, I gotta be honest, I was a little nervous about this. It was just such a sweet honor. I've prayed in public hundreds ~ maybe thousands of times, but this was a little unusual. I'd been thinking a lot over the past week about what I should say, and hoping my part would be what my friend had in mind when she asked.
And as I finished getting ready, looking in the mirror to decide I was done, I realized that I was also "primping" in a spiritual way. Readying my spirit, sort of. I was thinking about prayer, and sort of praying already. Praying about praying, if you will.
I think that, sadly, was a first for me. While I often pray in the car on the way to wherever I'm going, it's generally a last minute, "I'm ready to go, so now I have a little time to pray" thing. I'm not sure I've ever stopped before I left the house, and asked Him to prepare me. To give me what I need to be able to please Him in whatever I'm doing, wherever I'm going. I mean, I'm sure I have, before important or anxiety-producing things, but not on a regular basis.
It struck a chord with me. I realized my "getting ready" should be about far more than what I wear and how I look. I should not be praying before I arrive at my destination, I should be praying before I even leave my bedroom. Even if I'm only going as far as my family room.
I think, to paraphrase an old saying, "I'm never fully dressed without a prayer."
~ "And Joshua said to the people,
'Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow
the Lord will do wonders among you" ~
Joshua 3:5
~
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