On Sundays I try to do a little self-evaluation…sort of a little constructive criticism of myself. I TRY really hard to balance my activities but as my mama would say, “You’ve got too many irons in the fire.” (Neither side of my family sugar-coated their words.)
And it is true. I do have too many irons in the fire… lots of hula-hoops spinning.
I do a lot of different things because I like to be busy and productive. I am also a multi-tasker! (Both probably annoy my hubby but he’s pretty good-natured about it as long as I don’t volunteer him too much.)
There are a lot of things I want to do in this life…paint, write, travel, garden, cook, have a business, volunteer, run, workout, and spend time with my family (not necessarily in that order).
I like to keep a calendar and a daily list, then check things off of them. If I don’t get the list checked off, I can really get frustrated with my time management (or lack of).
BUT as I listened to our pastor’s sermon today and as I study the Bible every morning, I know that all of these “things on my list” are “wood, hay and stubble” IF I’m not fulfilling God’s purpose and using my gifts for His Kingdom.
As much as I want to do these things, more than anything I want to hear the words, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” So I look back at the week prior and ask myself how much time I spent in His Word, in prayer and in His Service.
Did I give Him my first fruits?
I was convicted during the lockdown about doing my Bible study first-thing in the morning and I’ve been very intentional about picking up my Bible before my phone.
Back when I was teaching, some mornings I would think I didn’t have the time for my quiet time and then my day would fall apart. God taught me that spending time with Him each morning is like sharpening my ax ( Search for an explanation of that quote attributed to Abe Lincoln). My day is less likely to go haywire if I plug into God’s power first-thing.
He’s very patient with me as I can be a “slow learner” at times.
I’ve learned that God doesn’t expect perfection from my abilities, but rather, He cares more about my availability. That way He gets the glory. Like my agreeing to lead women’s Bible studies. That was definitely out of my comfort zone. I’m much more comfortable in front of little kids.
But I’ve learned so much in doing that. For example, I learned this from our current Bible study ” Jesus & Women In the First Century and Now” by Kristi McLelland –
We are to live like rivers, not lakes.
That is, we are to let God’s Power, Grace, and even the money He puts in our hands flow to others through our speech and actions.
I love this quote by Hunter S. Thompson but I would substitute Heaven for the grave:
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”
God didn’t give me this life to waste it and He certainly didn’t save me to sit on a pew but to serve.
Dinah's Dabblings 