I woke from my nap, looked at my watch, and realized I had forgotten to set an alarm. As a result, I slept a full hour longer than intended. In the hallway, I heard Peck say to his father, “I need to get back to my school.” Immediately irritated, I asked Peck how many assignments he had left–two. Given the extra time he’d had, his schoolwork should have been completed. The problem was not that he’d disobeyed and blown off his school. He was doing it, but he was taking his sweet time and allowing every, little thing to distract him. I was about to point this out to him, when the Holy Spirit pricked my heart.

God had given me an assignment, and I was behaving the exact same way. The Holy Spirit showed me that while I was technically obeying the command, I was not giving it my whole heart. Like Peck, I allowed anything and everything to take me off task. My mother would call it “lollygagging.” If you’re not familiar with the term, it means to “dawdle” or “spend time aimlessly.”

When Moses delivered the law to the Israelites, he quoted God saying, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.” According to Miriam-Webster, wholeheartedly means “completely and sincerely devoted, determined, or enthusiastic.” When you love someone with all your heart, soul, and mind, you should be devoted, determined, and enthusiastic when that person makes a request.

And yet, I had tried to fit God’s assignment into my day instead of working my day around his assignment. I had made it the last thing on my list instead of the first. A nap had even been prioritized above the task! The larger irony is the last few lessons I’d taught in Sunday school included the importance of wholehearted worship and obedience to the Lord. I certainly wasn’t practicing what I preached. While never fun, conviction turns us in a new direction. The Holy Spirit turned me in a new direction, and the task was completed.

As you approach the rest of the week, examine yourself. Are you wholeheartedly obeying or spiritually lollygagging?

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