The Walls Have Eyes

One good thing that can be said for working opposite shifts from your significant other is that deciding to take a shower in the middle of the night won't disturb anyone! This morning, I decided that I wouldn't be able to sleep unless I took a nice, hot shower. Imagine my surprise when I turned around to rinse my hair and discovered that the walls had eyes!

Yes, the picture on the right WAS taken in my shower this morning. The green walls in my bathroom were looking at me ... literally! Somehow, the relaxation goes out of the hot water when you're keeping an eye on the corner to see what the lizard is going to do next. My girls will be shocked to find that I didn't even scream at the sight.

What crossed my mind (well, once I got past the idea that I was sharing my shower with a crawly critter the same color as my bathroom walls)? Imagine living your life if the walls did have eyes! Supermarket tabloids bring photos to light that many people wish had never been taken. Imagine someone following you around to see whether or not you dare to step outside the house without being immaculately groomed at all times (what brand of shampoo you use, what flavor ice cream you purchase, what you read ... you get the idea).

Newsflash: someone IS watching you. I don't really believe that God is ogling us in the shower, after all, He made us and is quite aware of what we look like. I do believe, however, that He knows what I think, not to mention what I say and do. Jesus lived his time on earth as an example. By following in his footsteps, am I really following in his footsteps? I will be the first to admit that I stumble far more frequently than I'd like to think that I do. If I would be ashamed for my children to repeat what they hear me say, what on earth is Jesus thinking?

One of the most difficult lessons I've had to learn in my life is one that I should have mastered long before I did, and that is the not-always-so-simple task of thinking before I speak. Words are far more difficult to eat than swallow, and learning to swallow my thoughts instead of speaking harshly is a process that I am still learning. Please note that I am still learning. I try, and the operative word in this sentence is most definitely try, to think before I say something that I cannot take back. While a short answer might make me feel better in the now, what will it do five minutes from now? Five hours? Five years?

There are times that I bite my tongue, swallow my pride, and beg Jesus to keep His hand over my mouth. I ask Him to forgive me for a quick temper, a smart mouth, and a tendency to speak before I think. Before the glib answer or sharp comment falls from your tongue, ask yourself if the perceived hurt will matter five minutes from now. If not, ask for help and let it go.

While I seriously doubt that the National Enquirer will ever be piled up in the driveway at my house wondering what I'm going to wear to Walmart, God is always watching and listening. To clarify things just a little more, this time I leave you with a joke that I didn't create. Unfortunately, I do not know who did, but I feel it is appropriate here:

The robber smiles to himself as he steps into the richly appointed living room, until he hears a voice saying "Jesus is watching you." Frozen for a brief moment, he steps forward and hears "Jesus is watching you." He turns on his flashlight and illuminates the birdcage in the corner at the same times as he hears those four words once more: "Jesus is watching you."

He smirks and asks the bird "Jesus?" The parrot says "No, my name is Moses." "Moses? What kind of idiot names a parrot Moses?" The parrot's reply: "The same kind of idiot that named a rottweiler Jesus."

Father, may I never forget that Jesus is watching me ... and watching over me.

"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry" ~ Psalm 34:15