You WANT to spend time with God every day, but...wait... every single day? Turns out that’s a lot.
You WANT to stop letting the same things that get on your nerves set you off but...easier said than done.
You WANT to say you’ll be obedient to God but then life throws you a curveball & being comfortable, making less effort, taking the easy way is well...easier.
Do you feel like no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get it together? Same. I mean, I am almost falling behind in a Bible study that I’M leading ! --trust me girl, I get it. Life is crazy busy, and sometimes you feel that if you don’t take the road you’re SO used to traveling on, the alternative option--the unknown--just might be the straw that breaks your back.
I recently listened to an incredible sermon by Pastor @stevenfurtick who raised the interesting idea that perhaps “the only thing in this life we can truly control is our focus.” and that what we focus on will inevitably shape our circumstances one way or another.
For example: When Sam & I went to Italy for our honeymoon, the airline lost our luggage. It was lost in transit for 3 days (the duration of our trip) so, in short, we did not have our 100 lbs of luggage for the entirety of the trip. Now of course--we are only human--so for about an hour after we realized this, we were pretty bummed. But then we decided to shift our focus. We said, you know what, we are here to enjoy ourselves, & the only people who can stop us from doing that are ourselves.
The next day we shopped locally & explored the city and you know what? We probably had a better time than we would have if our luggage had showed up.
The next time life throws you a curveball like this, I challenge you ask yourself…”what am I focusing on?”
The next time someone gets on your nerves, instead of focusing on how it’s affecting you, think about how much this person does NOT affect you. Think to yourself, this person could probably use some extra prayers to day.
The next time you come up short & do that thing you said you weren’t going to do, stop beating yourself up! Use it as an opportunity to get SPECIFIC with your prayers. Take your mistake straight to God and say…”okay see THIS. THIS is what we need to work on.”
Lift your head in prayer when you want to duck your head in disappointment. It’s all about those #babysteps girl. You’ll get there.