Colossians 3:12-15 (New Living Translation)
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
One of my favorite television shows is What Not to Wear on TLC. Its a great show with a great premise. First of all they take all of this "secret footage" on one poor fashion victim then when they least expect it, the two hosts of the show appear out of nowhere and surprise the fashion victim. Then in the matter of days they do a whirlwind make over from head to toe. Hair, make up, clothing... everything. The only catch is, they have to get rid of all of their old clothing before buying new clothing....that the hosts approve and thing would be a good fit and style for them.
The process of watching these fashion victims turning into stylish and confident people is really fun to watch. The hard part is watching them part with their old clothing and what that all represents. Some are reduced to tears as they part with the clothing they have had for so long. Some are down right angry and vengeful and they fight tooth and nail to keep their clothing that has become somewhat of a security blanket for them. At the end of the show.....it never fails...... they always love their transformation and they are grateful for new beginnings.
Clothing is a huge part of who we are. In many ways clothing defines who we are. Everybody has their own style and reasoning behind their clothing. Wearing the "right" clothes brings confidence and comfort. Wearing the "wrong" clothes brings discomfort. Why do we wear the clothes that we wear?
My youth and many other teenagers, children, and parents in Waxahachie are forced to ask themselves the same questions. Why do we wear the clothes that we wear? The school board passed a new dress menu that has caused many to be upset and angry at the thought of losing their individuality expressed by the clothes that they wear. Is our individuality really expressed solely by what we wear?
This scripture from Colossians talks about clothing yourself with patience, mercy, humility, kindness, and gentleness... AND above all that clothing ourselves with love. I have to be honest...sometimes I need God to do a "What Not to Wear" on my spiritual wardrobe. Can you imagine if God had hidden footage of my spiritual wardrobe? I would be shocked to see how I responded to others. I would have to face the impatience I have each day in even the smallest of situations.
Maybe instead of identifying myself with my casual comfortable clothing, I could identify myself by the humility and kindness I clothe myself with. I need to under go a head to toe spiritual make over. Instead of laying in bed in the morning thinking about what I am going to wear that day and what others will think about what I wear, I could start my day off with a prayer asking God to show me how to live in peace and forgiveness. Instead of going out to buy a new outfit or pair of shoes, I can go out and show love to others.
Regardless of where you stand on a dress menu topic or how you dress on the outside, all of us need to really think about how we dress on the inside. I am thankful that I worship a God who cares about the inside, who encourages us to dress better from the inside out, who challenges us to forgive and surround others with love. We are to be bound together not by what we wear but by our love.
I pray that God allows me to see what not to wear in my life, and provides opportunities for a spiritual wardrobe make over every chance I get.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
simple worship Psalm 100:1-3
Psalm 100:1-3 (New Living Translation)
1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
I love the act of worship. I love the thought of acknowledging the relationship we have with Christ through our songs, prayers, and speech. I love when things click within a community of believers and the presence of Christ is known. I love seeing the faces of kids and youth when they place their insecurities aside and truly worship the Lord. I love when time stops in worship and nothing else matters but what is happening right in front of you. I love it when we come as we are: broken, sad, confused, worried, angered, and depressed. And we leave the way God intends for us to be: inspired, free, loved, driven, and blessed.
Seek out the worship Christ wants you to be a part of. Spend sometime with the one who Created you. See all that the Lord has done and for just a moment... give thanks.
1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
I love the act of worship. I love the thought of acknowledging the relationship we have with Christ through our songs, prayers, and speech. I love when things click within a community of believers and the presence of Christ is known. I love seeing the faces of kids and youth when they place their insecurities aside and truly worship the Lord. I love when time stops in worship and nothing else matters but what is happening right in front of you. I love it when we come as we are: broken, sad, confused, worried, angered, and depressed. And we leave the way God intends for us to be: inspired, free, loved, driven, and blessed.
Seek out the worship Christ wants you to be a part of. Spend sometime with the one who Created you. See all that the Lord has done and for just a moment... give thanks.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Faith Routine Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (New Living Translation)
6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
I have many routines in life. I have the waking up in the morning routine which usually consists of me laying in bed and mentally putting together my schedule and wardrobe for the day. I have my i just got to work routine where I have to have a couple of minutes of silence before I am ready to speak to anybody. I have my going on a trip routine where I have to make a list of what I want to bring, then I lay it all out, then I pack it, then I find out I am packing too much so I repack my bag with only the items I need.
Its funny how many routines we have, isn't it? My routines become so routine that I forget that I even have any. I think its the same way with our faith. I think we do the same things over and over again that we forget about why we do things in the first place. We lose sight of why we worship, why we tithe, why its important be be part of a community of believers.
Working in the ministry I become a little jaded when it comes to teaching children and youth about the Christian Faith. First of all please know it is an honor and a privlage to be a part of a child and youth's spiritual journey. It is overwhelming to see youth overcome huge obstacles and still take huge steps in their journey toward Christ. Christ does some amazing things with children and youth. Their hearts are wide open to what Christ has in store for them. The problem is as adults we are too busy and preoccupied to realize that it is our responsibility to talk to them about the commandments and share our faith journey with them.
This scripture clearly states our responsibility as adults, parents, and leaders. It tells us to do two things:
1. Commit to the commandments
2. Talk about the commandments with your children.
How many of us take that responsibility to heart? Do we kind of know the commandments enough to give the kids an overview or have we made the commitment to the commandments and then share those commandments with our children-not just once but over and over again?
When do you share your faith? When do you share your journey with others? This is not just the responsibility of Sunday School teachers, youth ministers, and VBS leaders. We are all responsible for sharing our faith journey. As I think about my faith journey I am so grateful for all of the adults who took their time with me. Sharing their faith journey. Praying with me. Praying for me. It was during the inconvienient times, the uncomfortable times, the unimaginable times that my faith grew because the time the adults took in my life.
Its hard not to make our faith journey a routine and something we just do without thinking about it. Take the time to commit to what you have been doing and what you need to do. Share what you are doing and why you do it with the children and youth that God places in your life.
6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
I have many routines in life. I have the waking up in the morning routine which usually consists of me laying in bed and mentally putting together my schedule and wardrobe for the day. I have my i just got to work routine where I have to have a couple of minutes of silence before I am ready to speak to anybody. I have my going on a trip routine where I have to make a list of what I want to bring, then I lay it all out, then I pack it, then I find out I am packing too much so I repack my bag with only the items I need.
Its funny how many routines we have, isn't it? My routines become so routine that I forget that I even have any. I think its the same way with our faith. I think we do the same things over and over again that we forget about why we do things in the first place. We lose sight of why we worship, why we tithe, why its important be be part of a community of believers.
Working in the ministry I become a little jaded when it comes to teaching children and youth about the Christian Faith. First of all please know it is an honor and a privlage to be a part of a child and youth's spiritual journey. It is overwhelming to see youth overcome huge obstacles and still take huge steps in their journey toward Christ. Christ does some amazing things with children and youth. Their hearts are wide open to what Christ has in store for them. The problem is as adults we are too busy and preoccupied to realize that it is our responsibility to talk to them about the commandments and share our faith journey with them.
This scripture clearly states our responsibility as adults, parents, and leaders. It tells us to do two things:
1. Commit to the commandments
2. Talk about the commandments with your children.
How many of us take that responsibility to heart? Do we kind of know the commandments enough to give the kids an overview or have we made the commitment to the commandments and then share those commandments with our children-not just once but over and over again?
When do you share your faith? When do you share your journey with others? This is not just the responsibility of Sunday School teachers, youth ministers, and VBS leaders. We are all responsible for sharing our faith journey. As I think about my faith journey I am so grateful for all of the adults who took their time with me. Sharing their faith journey. Praying with me. Praying for me. It was during the inconvienient times, the uncomfortable times, the unimaginable times that my faith grew because the time the adults took in my life.
Its hard not to make our faith journey a routine and something we just do without thinking about it. Take the time to commit to what you have been doing and what you need to do. Share what you are doing and why you do it with the children and youth that God places in your life.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Unfailing love.........Impossible love Jeremiah 31:3
Jeremiah 31:3 (New Living Translation)
3 Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
Wow!
Everlasting........ Unfailing....... love.........
These are some powerful words! Seriously, there is power behind these words.
Life is overwhelming at times. We can be overwhelmed by bills, stress, work loads, laundry, family issues, (need I go on). But this scripture is overwhelming on a whole new level. After reading this scripture several times, I am overwhelmed by the love our Lord has for us.
We sing "Jesus loves me" we post "God is love" but here are the words the Lord gives to Israel: "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself." Wow! These words were written a long time ago to the Israelites and these words were written a long time ago for us. God isn't just love, he is everlasting love. Jesus doesn't just love us, He loves us unfailingly.
Love is defined with so many limits today. We can love pizza and we can love our family all in one breath. Marriages struggle to maintain love in the relationship. Teenagers scribble I love _______________. on their notebooks and end all of their facebook postings with I love ___________ . Love is used, misused, and abused in so many ways.
When was the last time you loved with an everlasting love? When was the last time your love was unfailing?
Thats the thing, I am not sure we are capable of loving the way God loves us. I think we should strive to love the way God loves us but I am not sure if it is possible for us to love in a world full of conditions. God's love is there for us whether we acknowledge it or not. God's love never changes....even when we change. I am not sure we can full grasp the sort of love that God has for us.
I am going to let you into a random secret ritual my mom and I have (sorry mom).... every time my mom tells me she loves me, I tell her that I love her more, and then she responds with "its not possible", That is powerful to hear ... even as an adult. Its powerful to know that as much as I love my mom... there is no possible way that I can love her more than she loves me.
The same is true for our Creator. There is no possible way that I can love God more than God loves me. There is no way I can love anybody as much as God loves them. It is just not possible.
We are drawn to God by God's unfailing love. That is powerful.
3 Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
Wow!
Everlasting........ Unfailing....... love.........
These are some powerful words! Seriously, there is power behind these words.
Life is overwhelming at times. We can be overwhelmed by bills, stress, work loads, laundry, family issues, (need I go on). But this scripture is overwhelming on a whole new level. After reading this scripture several times, I am overwhelmed by the love our Lord has for us.
We sing "Jesus loves me" we post "God is love" but here are the words the Lord gives to Israel: "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself." Wow! These words were written a long time ago to the Israelites and these words were written a long time ago for us. God isn't just love, he is everlasting love. Jesus doesn't just love us, He loves us unfailingly.
Love is defined with so many limits today. We can love pizza and we can love our family all in one breath. Marriages struggle to maintain love in the relationship. Teenagers scribble I love _______________. on their notebooks and end all of their facebook postings with I love ___________ . Love is used, misused, and abused in so many ways.
When was the last time you loved with an everlasting love? When was the last time your love was unfailing?
Thats the thing, I am not sure we are capable of loving the way God loves us. I think we should strive to love the way God loves us but I am not sure if it is possible for us to love in a world full of conditions. God's love is there for us whether we acknowledge it or not. God's love never changes....even when we change. I am not sure we can full grasp the sort of love that God has for us.
I am going to let you into a random secret ritual my mom and I have (sorry mom).... every time my mom tells me she loves me, I tell her that I love her more, and then she responds with "its not possible", That is powerful to hear ... even as an adult. Its powerful to know that as much as I love my mom... there is no possible way that I can love her more than she loves me.
The same is true for our Creator. There is no possible way that I can love God more than God loves me. There is no way I can love anybody as much as God loves them. It is just not possible.
We are drawn to God by God's unfailing love. That is powerful.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Inconvenient Mission Philemon 1:6
Philemon 1:6 (New Living Translation)
6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.
I love summer time! It is my favorite season of all!! I love warm sunshine! I love eating on patios! I love swimming and going to the lake! Most of all I love Summer Mission Trips! There is just something about going on the mission trips in the summer. I have the true blessing of being involved with 3 powerful mission trips a year.... and its part of my job!
There are so many reasons why I love going on mission trips, but one of the main reasons is I have the privilege of seeing the youth and adults who go on the trip transform in their faith because they are putting their faith in action. There is a huge rumor out there that youth are lazy and they don't think of anybody but themselves. I ask anybody who thinks that, to go on a mission trip with teenagers. It is my opinion that teenagers aren't lazy... they are just not given the opportunity to put their faith in action.
All of you who have been on a mission trip can agree with me when I say that usually those helping others are actually just as blessed by the experience as those who are being helped. There is nothing quite like the feeling of helping others and putting your faith in action. When we are able to help others we are able to be the true hands and feet of Christ. Relationships are built and Christ can be seen and felt through the work of others.
I am not sure if this scripture is written just for those who take a week off in the summer to help others. I am sure though, that this scripture is for everybody to act on. We are called as Christians to put our faith into action. Its not just because its the right thing to do.... but I think its a way for us to feel closer to Christ. When we act Christ-like... we can feel Christ-like.
All of us can be in mission everyday. Opening doors for others, listening to friends, doing random acts of kindness. We are called to step out from who we are and be who Christ is. We are called to be Christ's hands and feet to others...and not when it is convenient to us.
Christ didn't have a blackberry or i phone to schedule in his ministry. He didn't say.. hold on I can help you next Tuesday after basketball practice and before my dentist appointment. Christ looked for ways to show his love, even at inconvenient times.
If you have never been on a mission trip, I want to encourage you to go on one. If you are looking for ways to be in mission everyday... I pray that your eyes will be opened to those opportunities.
We have been given so much and I never want to take that for granted. Instead I ask God to provide opportunities for me to be generous.........even when I am not on a mission trip.
6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.
I love summer time! It is my favorite season of all!! I love warm sunshine! I love eating on patios! I love swimming and going to the lake! Most of all I love Summer Mission Trips! There is just something about going on the mission trips in the summer. I have the true blessing of being involved with 3 powerful mission trips a year.... and its part of my job!
There are so many reasons why I love going on mission trips, but one of the main reasons is I have the privilege of seeing the youth and adults who go on the trip transform in their faith because they are putting their faith in action. There is a huge rumor out there that youth are lazy and they don't think of anybody but themselves. I ask anybody who thinks that, to go on a mission trip with teenagers. It is my opinion that teenagers aren't lazy... they are just not given the opportunity to put their faith in action.
All of you who have been on a mission trip can agree with me when I say that usually those helping others are actually just as blessed by the experience as those who are being helped. There is nothing quite like the feeling of helping others and putting your faith in action. When we are able to help others we are able to be the true hands and feet of Christ. Relationships are built and Christ can be seen and felt through the work of others.
I am not sure if this scripture is written just for those who take a week off in the summer to help others. I am sure though, that this scripture is for everybody to act on. We are called as Christians to put our faith into action. Its not just because its the right thing to do.... but I think its a way for us to feel closer to Christ. When we act Christ-like... we can feel Christ-like.
All of us can be in mission everyday. Opening doors for others, listening to friends, doing random acts of kindness. We are called to step out from who we are and be who Christ is. We are called to be Christ's hands and feet to others...and not when it is convenient to us.
Christ didn't have a blackberry or i phone to schedule in his ministry. He didn't say.. hold on I can help you next Tuesday after basketball practice and before my dentist appointment. Christ looked for ways to show his love, even at inconvenient times.
If you have never been on a mission trip, I want to encourage you to go on one. If you are looking for ways to be in mission everyday... I pray that your eyes will be opened to those opportunities.
We have been given so much and I never want to take that for granted. Instead I ask God to provide opportunities for me to be generous.........even when I am not on a mission trip.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Search me..... Psalm 139:23-24
Psalm 139:23-24 (New Living Translation)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Imagine telling somebody to "search your life" and after they are done searching your life asking them to test those things that cause anxiety and then point out things in your life that offend you. That person would take one look at you and think you are crazy. Why? Because how many of us are really ready to have our lives searched? How many of us are ready for somebody to dig through our dirty laundry and point out the offensive things in our lives? Can you imagine your deepest darkest secrets revealed to your friend? I would be mortified if my whole life was searched and under a microscope. There are things in my life that I am not proud of at all and that I try to hide from myself. I say my life is an open book..but honestly I have probably ripped out some pages before opening it for people to read.
This scripture is powerful and uncomfortable all at the same time. It causes you to feel anxious and free all at the same time. This scripture isn't just talking about "somebody" this scripture is talking about the one who created you. We say all the time that you can't hide anything from God. We even point out how funny it was that Adam and Eve were hiding their nakedness from God because they didn't want God to know what they did. The truth is .... even though we know we can't hide from God... many times we try to hide things from ourselves.
There is a reason we call them deep dark secrets. We keep those things we don't want to be found in deep dark places. Places we don't think we will ever find them... let alone somebody else. This scripture calls us to go to those deep dark places... and bring God along.
Its as if we are standing on a cliff and the only thing that is standing in our way from true freedom and everlasting life...... is allowing God to search those deep dark places and point out how to deal with the nasty things we have in our lives that stand in our way from the journey we need to be on.
This scripture has been on my desk for several months... and I have forgotten it. It is part of a daily inventory that I wanted to do everyday to help me focus... and instead of focusing on it... I shoved it into a deep dark place.
The daily inventory is a very powerful process. You are to ask yourself (search within yourself) these questions:
1. How am I doing loving my neighbor? Did I act in an unloving way toward anyone today?
2. How am I doing at loving my Lord?
3. Did others see in me today the joy of having a personal relationship with Christ? If not, why not?
4. How was my peace today? Did anything happen that caused me to lose it? What was my part in it?
5. Was I patient today? What caused me to lose my patience? Do I owe anybody an apology?
6. Woud anyone say that I was kind today? In what ways did I act unkind?
7. Did I keep my word with everyone today?
8. Did I lose my temper or speak a harsh or unkind word to someone?
9. Am I hiding anything from myself or others because its just easier not to talk about it?
10. Where in my life am I trying to control a situation or other person?
WOW..... these are tough but powerful questions.
I pray that we are all open to search ourselves and allow God to search us as well. Looking at our junk is not fun... but it stands in the way of our everlasting life that we are called to live.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Imagine telling somebody to "search your life" and after they are done searching your life asking them to test those things that cause anxiety and then point out things in your life that offend you. That person would take one look at you and think you are crazy. Why? Because how many of us are really ready to have our lives searched? How many of us are ready for somebody to dig through our dirty laundry and point out the offensive things in our lives? Can you imagine your deepest darkest secrets revealed to your friend? I would be mortified if my whole life was searched and under a microscope. There are things in my life that I am not proud of at all and that I try to hide from myself. I say my life is an open book..but honestly I have probably ripped out some pages before opening it for people to read.
This scripture is powerful and uncomfortable all at the same time. It causes you to feel anxious and free all at the same time. This scripture isn't just talking about "somebody" this scripture is talking about the one who created you. We say all the time that you can't hide anything from God. We even point out how funny it was that Adam and Eve were hiding their nakedness from God because they didn't want God to know what they did. The truth is .... even though we know we can't hide from God... many times we try to hide things from ourselves.
There is a reason we call them deep dark secrets. We keep those things we don't want to be found in deep dark places. Places we don't think we will ever find them... let alone somebody else. This scripture calls us to go to those deep dark places... and bring God along.
Its as if we are standing on a cliff and the only thing that is standing in our way from true freedom and everlasting life...... is allowing God to search those deep dark places and point out how to deal with the nasty things we have in our lives that stand in our way from the journey we need to be on.
This scripture has been on my desk for several months... and I have forgotten it. It is part of a daily inventory that I wanted to do everyday to help me focus... and instead of focusing on it... I shoved it into a deep dark place.
The daily inventory is a very powerful process. You are to ask yourself (search within yourself) these questions:
1. How am I doing loving my neighbor? Did I act in an unloving way toward anyone today?
2. How am I doing at loving my Lord?
3. Did others see in me today the joy of having a personal relationship with Christ? If not, why not?
4. How was my peace today? Did anything happen that caused me to lose it? What was my part in it?
5. Was I patient today? What caused me to lose my patience? Do I owe anybody an apology?
6. Woud anyone say that I was kind today? In what ways did I act unkind?
7. Did I keep my word with everyone today?
8. Did I lose my temper or speak a harsh or unkind word to someone?
9. Am I hiding anything from myself or others because its just easier not to talk about it?
10. Where in my life am I trying to control a situation or other person?
WOW..... these are tough but powerful questions.
I pray that we are all open to search ourselves and allow God to search us as well. Looking at our junk is not fun... but it stands in the way of our everlasting life that we are called to live.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Surrounded by heavy clutter Hebrews 12:1-2
Hebrews 12: 1-2
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
Cup of coffee, receipts, Burger King crown, mounds of papers, Relevant Magazine, stapler, cords, box of tissues, cup of pens, rubber stress basketball, masking tape, a Gideon pamphlet, three ink pens, calculator, space heater, princess crown, notebook, three devotional books, business card, car keys, purse, note cards, Vacation Bible School lesson plans, and a DVD i am showing for Bible Study on Wednesday. These are just a few things i have on my desk right now. It is a wonder that I even have room on my desk for my laptop.
I am surrounded by clutter. I am a clutter magnet. I am not proud of it. I have taken large steps to overcome my cluttering. I love the feeling of having a clean desk and a clean office. When I am surrounded by clean instead of clutter things are so much clearer and it is so much easier to work. So then there is the question that has to be asked: Why do we clutter? If it feels good to work in clean... why do I surround myself with clutter?
Clutter happens! (It really should be a bumper sticker). Clutter is not something that you create intentionally.. it happens over time. Over time I accumulated far too many useless things on my desk and then chose to push it off to the side instead of putting it away. After i finish writing this blog, I fully intend to sort through these things and decide what needs to stay and what needs to be put away. What is essential to the productivity of my work and what slows me down.
What if we did that in life? What if we listed everything that is in our lives and then figure out what is productive to our walk with Christ and what is slowing us down? When I have studied this scripture before, I always think of strong addictions and burdens that slow us down. I always thought of the big events that served as a dark cloud in my life instead of the small things I have accumulated over time. I think i have more clutter weighing me down than really big life shattering events.
What are you surrounded by? I love the thought of being surrounded by a huge crowd of witnesses. A huge crowd of people running the race with me. I am so blessed to be surrounded by an incredible church family, lots of amazing friends, and great family. Sometimes I am distracted by all of my clutter that I am not able to run the race fully with everybody.
Sins and other priorities take the place of our crowd of witnesses. Piece by piece gossip, guilt, and physical clutter sits in the way of my faith productivity. I focus on huge pile of clutter in my life and get overwhelmed that I don't realize that I need to just sort out each piece and think about how it is contributing to the productivity of my race with Christ.
We are all invited to run the race whether we want to acknowledge it or not. The only difference some choose to run the race with 10 pound ankle weights of clutter, some stand at the starting line waiting for their calendars to clear up so they can fully commit to the race, and some run with a slow and steady pace cautious of every step that they take.
How do you run the race? What are you surrounded by? Do you have clutter in your life that you need to go through piece by piece? Maybe its time to do a little spring cleaning for Lent. I am adding it to my To Do list right now :)
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
Cup of coffee, receipts, Burger King crown, mounds of papers, Relevant Magazine, stapler, cords, box of tissues, cup of pens, rubber stress basketball, masking tape, a Gideon pamphlet, three ink pens, calculator, space heater, princess crown, notebook, three devotional books, business card, car keys, purse, note cards, Vacation Bible School lesson plans, and a DVD i am showing for Bible Study on Wednesday. These are just a few things i have on my desk right now. It is a wonder that I even have room on my desk for my laptop.
I am surrounded by clutter. I am a clutter magnet. I am not proud of it. I have taken large steps to overcome my cluttering. I love the feeling of having a clean desk and a clean office. When I am surrounded by clean instead of clutter things are so much clearer and it is so much easier to work. So then there is the question that has to be asked: Why do we clutter? If it feels good to work in clean... why do I surround myself with clutter?
Clutter happens! (It really should be a bumper sticker). Clutter is not something that you create intentionally.. it happens over time. Over time I accumulated far too many useless things on my desk and then chose to push it off to the side instead of putting it away. After i finish writing this blog, I fully intend to sort through these things and decide what needs to stay and what needs to be put away. What is essential to the productivity of my work and what slows me down.
What if we did that in life? What if we listed everything that is in our lives and then figure out what is productive to our walk with Christ and what is slowing us down? When I have studied this scripture before, I always think of strong addictions and burdens that slow us down. I always thought of the big events that served as a dark cloud in my life instead of the small things I have accumulated over time. I think i have more clutter weighing me down than really big life shattering events.
What are you surrounded by? I love the thought of being surrounded by a huge crowd of witnesses. A huge crowd of people running the race with me. I am so blessed to be surrounded by an incredible church family, lots of amazing friends, and great family. Sometimes I am distracted by all of my clutter that I am not able to run the race fully with everybody.
Sins and other priorities take the place of our crowd of witnesses. Piece by piece gossip, guilt, and physical clutter sits in the way of my faith productivity. I focus on huge pile of clutter in my life and get overwhelmed that I don't realize that I need to just sort out each piece and think about how it is contributing to the productivity of my race with Christ.
We are all invited to run the race whether we want to acknowledge it or not. The only difference some choose to run the race with 10 pound ankle weights of clutter, some stand at the starting line waiting for their calendars to clear up so they can fully commit to the race, and some run with a slow and steady pace cautious of every step that they take.
How do you run the race? What are you surrounded by? Do you have clutter in your life that you need to go through piece by piece? Maybe its time to do a little spring cleaning for Lent. I am adding it to my To Do list right now :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)