Notes

When I was in high school, I hated taking notes. 

I remember having a lot of notes and diagrams to copy off of the projector in biology class. A semester worth of notes was almost an entire single subject notebook and we had to turn it in each six weeks for the teacher to review and then grade. 

I usually got a decent score but because I didn’t have the neatest handwriting and I didn’t take the time to go back and use colored pencils to make the diagrams look pretty (which I thought was pointless) or recopy the notes like some of the others did, I didn’t get the high grade that I felt I should have. I thought that since I had the same basic notes that it was good enough…but it wasn’t. I didn’t follow through and do the whole assignment for the notes.

As I have gotten older, I’ve realized the importance of notes and their details. I have become a great note taker and maker. I have notes for meal planning so that I have all the ingredients on hand and know what I am making for dinner so the kids don’t have to eat cereal or order take out. I have notes/lesson plans for homeschool subjects so the school day is efficient. I make notes for important meetings and appointments. At the urging of my kids, I even switched from paper notes to electronic notes.

I opened my Bible as I sat down to write this blog and I noticed all the notes inside of it. I had sermon notes from last Wednesday’s service and prayer requests from my friends on our ‘Mopping up the Blessings’ group page. I also found the little cards that you get with flowers that my husband and kids have sent me. I also noticed how the pages in the front and back were worn and partially torn from when the kids were younger and would pick up my Bible by the cover and bring it to me. But the one thing that stuck out the most was the sticky notes of prayer requests from my friends.

These notes caught my eye because of the importance of these requests to the person who gave them to me. They have entrusted me to pray over their friends, themselves, and their families. I do take these seriously and Jesus does as well. I will admit that people posting ‘thoughts and prayers’ on social media really does irk me. It isn’t just a trendy thing to say and I feel you are better off not saying it if you don’t really mean it, because you are telling someone you are going to do this for them and if you don’t pray for them, you are not keeping your word to them. My daddy always said, “A person is only as good as his word.” 

James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Just like in high school, it is important to follow through with the whole assignment. If you tell someone that you are praying for them, write down the request and make a note of it to remind yourself to actually do it.  Please follow through with your promise to pray and say those prayers from your heart.

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Tammy Bassett is a speaker and the author of the Mopping Up Your Blessings blog. She was born and raised a country girl who’s roots run deep in the mountains of Appalachia. She has worked a wide variety of jobs ranging from radio to insurance agent. She is now a stay-at-home mom, who along with her husband, are raising five daughters (ages 10 to 25), seven cats and one dog. She uses her accounting and business administration degree to help run her busy household.
She loves spending time with her family and homeschooling her two youngest children. She spends a lot of her day trying to conquer the obstacles in her home. With four of her children still living at home the laundry pile (nicknamed Mt. Wash-more) is her nemesis. Some days she wins and some days she doesn’t, but she always gets up the next day and tries again.
She also loves camping with her family as long as there is a camper with air conditioning, a comfy bed, and indoor plumbing. Her downfall is her obsession with iced coffee. Thankfully the closest Starbucks is an hour from her home, or she would be broke. She also loves reading and learning new skills such as homesteading, being more self-sustainable, gardening and foraging.
She relates the most to her favorite animal, the alpaca. They are both kind of weird and look like they are two months past due on a haircut. Much like alpacas she makes a gentle humming noise when happy and if irritated she often stamps the ground with her feet. Her husband has refused to buy her an alpaca much to her disappointment.
But more than anything, she loves the Lord and is growing more in her faith each day and hopes to inspire others to do the same. She wants everyone to understand that God’s grace is truly amazing and has changed her from the inside out and he can do the same for you.