fillers

During my TOEFL training, one of the things I heard in almost every single session in the teaching segment was the importance of having fillers. (Planned activities to fill up time in case part of your lesson ended early or the class was extended, etc.)

When I was writing, the advice tidbit I heard over and over was to be involved with people, but guard your writing time so it didn't become filled with up people and their wants/needs.

This past week I have felt like my life was fuller than the hourglass I've been given. While at work proofing a devotional that's to be printed tomorrow, I came across this:

Real servants make themselves available to serve. Servants don't fill up
their time with other pursuits that could limit their availability. They
want to be ready to jump into service when called on. (Read II Timothy
2:4)

and on the next day:

Are you available to God anytime? Can He mess up your plans without you
becoming resentful? As a servant, you don't get to pick and choose when or where
you will serve. Being a servant means giving up the right to control your
schedule and allowing God to interrupt whenever he needs to.....Servants see
interruptions as divine appointments for ministry and are happy for the
opportunity to practice serving.

You know how you pluck your eyebrows, think you got everything, then at a stoplight glance in the rearview mirror and see several hairs jumping out at you screaming, Nah, nah! Sometimes I feel the Christian journey is very similar. You think you're plucking out the bad habits and attitudes, (or at least bleaching the ones you can't get to) only to find out there's some very prominent ones on display. Time fillers, servanthood, and the Master - I'm thankful He's a merciful one.