Day 20 - My life is changing
A few days ago I had an epiphany: writing is not the most important thing I do each day. Though you wouldn't know it from the quality of my writing, I have been placing this blog too high on my list of priorities. Though I often put it off to the day's very end, I do make sure it gets done. Even if it's only a few moments or a few words, I make absolutely certain that I write something on this blog every day. And while my project is indeed a healthy pursuit, it's position in my set of priorities is not. Writing is not the thing I need to make absolutely certain I do each day. That level of importance should be assigned first to my time with my Lord.
Four weeks ago I began a wonderful new Bible study through Women's Ministries at my old church. It's the type of study wherein I meet weekly with a group of women (the same group each week); during the meeting there is time for discussion, instruction, and a video lesson from a renowned Bible teacher (remember me raving about Priscilla Shirer?). There is also a workbook that includes five studies, or homework, to do on your own within the next seven days. Though I enjoyed the study immensely from the beginning, I knew I could be getting more out of it because I wasn't doing the homework. I started strong; for the first two days I set aside a block of time in the evening free from the distractions of computer and television to focus on what the Lord would have me learn that day. But then I got busy. I always get busy. And rather than putting my time with God first, I did everything else that I "needed" to do - including this blog - first, and never ended up with enough time for my study. At our third meeting, I hadn't even cracked the book during the week. After that meeting, I decided it was time for change. I decided I wanted to begin each day with the Lord. Though I'm not in the least a "morning person" I began setting an alarm to wake me before my kids would wake so that I could have some quiet, quality time with the Lord to start my day. I cannot tell you what a difference this has made! For weeks I've been praying in the morning for patience and grace with my children, often revisiting this prayer through the hardest hours of the afternoon. However, I wasn't invested in the prayer, and wasn't giving myself any solid footing from which to launch my day. During the week that I have spent beginning each day with the Lord, I've lost my patience only once. And can I tell you which day that was? It was the day that I overslept and didn't have time to do my Bible study before starting my day! For a decade I've been hearing what a difference it makes to begin your day with the Lord. What a foothold it gives you from which to leap forth into a day that glorifies Him, and in which He truly is your conscience and guide. But I'm not a morning person. And, I reasoned, that simply doesn't work for me. It doesn't make any sense to open my Bible when I'm hardly awake, bleary-eyed, and cranky. I won't get anything out of it. I won't catch whatever it is the Lord is trying to teach me. And on and on I went with the excuses. Guess what? I was wrong. My excuses were a load of hooey. My God is an awesome God, and He loves spending time with me. As I've begun to make a real effort to abide in Him and His word, I've noticed a difference in my patience, in my prayer life, in my relationships, and certainly in my wisdom! The difference is truly amazing! And finally, for the first time in my Christian life I'm reaping the benefits of starting my day with God and fitting everything else in around Him. What a difference it makes compared to the innumerable days when I've "tried" to fit Him in around all of the busyness of daily life. The latter doesn't work, folks. And I'm so grateful to have found the thing that does!
Four weeks ago I began a wonderful new Bible study through Women's Ministries at my old church. It's the type of study wherein I meet weekly with a group of women (the same group each week); during the meeting there is time for discussion, instruction, and a video lesson from a renowned Bible teacher (remember me raving about Priscilla Shirer?). There is also a workbook that includes five studies, or homework, to do on your own within the next seven days. Though I enjoyed the study immensely from the beginning, I knew I could be getting more out of it because I wasn't doing the homework. I started strong; for the first two days I set aside a block of time in the evening free from the distractions of computer and television to focus on what the Lord would have me learn that day. But then I got busy. I always get busy. And rather than putting my time with God first, I did everything else that I "needed" to do - including this blog - first, and never ended up with enough time for my study. At our third meeting, I hadn't even cracked the book during the week. After that meeting, I decided it was time for change. I decided I wanted to begin each day with the Lord. Though I'm not in the least a "morning person" I began setting an alarm to wake me before my kids would wake so that I could have some quiet, quality time with the Lord to start my day. I cannot tell you what a difference this has made! For weeks I've been praying in the morning for patience and grace with my children, often revisiting this prayer through the hardest hours of the afternoon. However, I wasn't invested in the prayer, and wasn't giving myself any solid footing from which to launch my day. During the week that I have spent beginning each day with the Lord, I've lost my patience only once. And can I tell you which day that was? It was the day that I overslept and didn't have time to do my Bible study before starting my day! For a decade I've been hearing what a difference it makes to begin your day with the Lord. What a foothold it gives you from which to leap forth into a day that glorifies Him, and in which He truly is your conscience and guide. But I'm not a morning person. And, I reasoned, that simply doesn't work for me. It doesn't make any sense to open my Bible when I'm hardly awake, bleary-eyed, and cranky. I won't get anything out of it. I won't catch whatever it is the Lord is trying to teach me. And on and on I went with the excuses. Guess what? I was wrong. My excuses were a load of hooey. My God is an awesome God, and He loves spending time with me. As I've begun to make a real effort to abide in Him and His word, I've noticed a difference in my patience, in my prayer life, in my relationships, and certainly in my wisdom! The difference is truly amazing! And finally, for the first time in my Christian life I'm reaping the benefits of starting my day with God and fitting everything else in around Him. What a difference it makes compared to the innumerable days when I've "tried" to fit Him in around all of the busyness of daily life. The latter doesn't work, folks. And I'm so grateful to have found the thing that does!
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