Don't take a shower to get ready for a bath.

I'm not sure where the saying came from. "You don't take a shower to get ready for a bath." It's always reminded me of the "fixin' to get ready to..." saying from the South. As if "fixin'" (which translates "getting ready to") wasn't enough, that you have to be redundantly redundant. You're getting ready to get ready. What does that mean? Sitting on the couch thinking about it? Anyway, I digress.

You don't need to take a shower to get ready for a bath. Soaking in the bath will make you clean. Why hurry up and get a shower first? That's just plain ridiculous.

But that's what we do. We think we have to prepare ourselves for a time of preparation.

Our church (Mars Hill Community) is entering into a season we're calling Awakening. It's a 21 day fast, and I have to be honest... I've been really looking forward to it. Until today.

Today is when it finally hit me what I'm not going to have. So then my brain starts going through lists of things that I should take care of with God before I let God take care of all of the stuff in me. And the lack of logic here--trust me, it doesn't go unnoticed. And don't get me wrong - I'm all about keeping short accounts with God. But do I really think He doesn't notice that I'm laying here on the couch, fixin' to get ready for what He has for me?

As we head into this time together, let's remember that the journey also matters to God. He is preparing us for something great. So let's just soak this part in. No fast showers for me. I'm lighting the candles, grabbing the salts and bubbles, and even that little plastic-backed-inflatable-pillow-thingy. 'Cause God and me have a bunch of cleaning to do, and pruned as I might be at the end... it's definitely going to be worth it!