Post-It Notes and Intentions

If you came over tonight, it's a good bet that your first question would be, "What's with the orange post-it notes everywhere?" I'd be happy to explain:

A nasty fall yesterday left me with an open scrape the size of a dime on my foot. Circumstances of the fall being what they were, the scrape was more or less left unattended. Unfortunately, it wasn't content with its lack of care. Today, it upped its demands on my attention with a little swelling, red streaks, and pain whenever I put weight on my foot, all obvious signs of infection. Wonderful. The urgent care doctor confirmed my suspicions. I picked up a prescription, brought it home, set it on the table, and...forgot.

It took another hour of hobbling around the kitchen before I finally remembered. The antibiotic! Right! I have something to fight this infection AND I'M NOT USING IT!

That situation has now been rectified. The first pill has been swallowed. Soon, my foot will feel like it's on my side again...as long as I stick to the program, that is. My job is to remember to take my Keflex four times a day for the next ten days. A small task, but one I don't exactly trust my memory for. As already demonstrated tonight, my follow-through isn't the greatest.

Thus, the neon signs and charts on the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, the door, and my computer, all reminding me to do my part in combating the opportunistic bacteria in my foot. I want the infection TO LEAVE.

I wonder what my life would look like if I were so careful to follow through on other things I KNOW I should do...the things that perhaps aren't so easy as making a chart or swallowing a pill. Like when I know I need to humble myself and apologize...but I never quite bring up the topic in conversation. Or when I'm aware of a need within my arm's reach...and I never quite get that meal made or card sent.

My dad likes to remind me that while we tend to measure others by their actions, we frequently measure ourselves by our intentions. Intentions don't fight infection, however. Neither do they heal relationships or put food on an empty table. Action does.

I believe that obeying God's Word can bring about radical change in me and the situations around me, just like I believe that my Keflex can effectively defeat the infection in my foot. In both cases, however, I have to put my belief into action. Intentions, lofty though they may be, just don't cut it.

"But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." James 1:25