Pressing or Precious

It was in 1979 and I remember the day as if it were yesterday!! (YES, I am aware that MANY of you were not even born then!)

It is rather odd that I can remember that day in 1979 when I can’t remember if I put on deodorant after my shower just now!!  Hummm….does it have anything to do with the fact that I am old enough to be around in 1979?  Anyway….back to 1979….

I was busy doing who-knows-what and our toddler daughter came teeter-tottering up to me and said, “Ock me Momma, Ock me!?”  For those of you who might need a translation…she was saying “Rock me, Momma, Rock me!?”

Immediately I responded, “Oh honey, not now….mommy’s busy,”

To this day I have no idea what in the world I was so preoccupied and busy doing….but I am fairly sure it had to do with some important and pressing thing like folding clothes or talking on the phone or some other not important and pressing thing.

Not too long after I dismissed her request the Holy Spirit yelled at me and said, “GO OCK THAT BABY!”  Have you ever noticed that the Holy Spirit can be rather bossy!??

So, that is exactly what I did.  I stopped whatever pressing and important thing I was doing and called that little girl to me.  We got in to the rocking chair.  We rocked, and we rocked, and we rocked….for about…..25 seconds!  Twenty five seconds was all she needed!!  Wanted!!  Twenty five stink-n seconds to do the precious thing and let the pressing things wait!  Twenty five seconds!!

Later that same year I read this article in Home Life Magazine called "Pressing or Precious".  Truthfully, it was as if the author of that article had been in our home that day a few months earlier and wrote about what she witnessed happening with our daughter and me!

I was so convicted and affected by the experience and the article that it hung on our refrigerator door for decades!  Decades, I say, decades!!  (Notice the yellowing of the paper?)

Why did I leave it there?  "I got up from the rocking chair with a new perspective on what was important..."

I did it as a reminder that every.single.day I have choices to make.  Will I do the pressing or will I do the precious??

Go and do something precious....the pressing can wait.  The precious doesn't.  Luke 10:38-42