Today is a snapshot of your life. You’ve chosen how to spend your day and your time. You’ve decided what to say “yes” and “no” to, and now we’re spending a few moments together reflecting. When did you notice God? What did you do that connected you with the mission of God? Did you prearrange your plans and your agenda to completely fill your day with activities? How many margins did you leave to listen to God and to your family members? When did you sense that your life was in sync with God’s plan for your life? Did your family get your best, or did they get your leftovers? When you look back at how you spent your time, your energy, and your money, who won?
We all have the same amount of time to spend each day. Our beliefs and values and passions and obligations and mindset determine what we say “yes” and “no” to each day. Our boundaries should protect what’s most important to us. Eventually what we say “yes” and “no” to will define us and our lifestyles. Unfortunately, we tend to say “yes” to too many good things or too many bad things. We tend to say “no” to what we should be saying “yes” to in order to grow a more intimate relationship with God and with those whom He’s placed nearby. Perhaps because we know that we’re forever loved by God and our family, it’s easy to bump them down on the priority list.
If you’ve slipped into survival mode and have become a puppet to whatever your work, your church, or your family thinks you should be doing with your life and with your time, you may have negotiated away your solitude and reflection and prayer time. You may have even put self-care and personal health on the back burner.
How can you tell when you’re spent? You lack energy and motivation.
You talk about how busy you are and how much you have to do. You come home with very little energy left to spend on your family. You’re getting a bulge because you’ve turned to food to self-soothe instead of eating healthy. You sit on the couch and turn on the TV or get on your phone and connect with someone other than those who are with you. When you do try to give your loved one’s attention, they’re not very interested because they’re used to you not being there physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally. We’ve all had times and seasons in our lives when we just ran on fumes, and we’ve wondered when we’re ever going to get off of this crazy ride called life.
The good news is that we’re made in the image of God. Jesus recognized the danger of becoming independent or becoming distracted by all of the demands of the crowd. He didn’t accumulate stuff. He didn’t see how many different things He could pack into a day. Instead, Jesus frequently slipped away to get time alone with The Father. He only said and did what He saw The Father saying and doing. And the good news is that we’re patterned after Jesus to become like Him. We were made to slow down, to spend concentrated time alone with Jesus, and to follow Him wherever He leads us. We’re designed to invest deeply in a small number of people around us and to pass on whatever Jesus is teaching us. We’re disciple-makers being discipled by our Maker. We find out what to say and what to do by listening and watching and responding to the work of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
Now, here’s the countercultural kicker. When asked what we’re doing, we should respond by sharing what God is doing. We should be so tuned into the work of the Holy Spirit that what we say and do should reflect what God is doing. But many times, we get so busy and distracted that we don’t even ask “What is Jesus doing?” We don’t stop and reflect. We worship busyness and think it’s godliness, yet it’s not!
My favorite days are when my schedule is empty and full of unknowns, waiting for God to divinely orchestrate experiences with Him and with people. I light my “What is Jesus doing” transformational prayer altar each morning and wait on the Lord. I fix my gaze on Jesus and meditate on His Words. I pray and journal what the Holy Spirit is teaching and prompting me to do. I look for opportunities to share and teach and reflect Him throughout the day.
I must confess that I have spent way too much time and energy on what never brought contentment, satisfaction, or peace. Out of my own stubbornness, rebellion, and pride, I wasted years of my life codding my comfort zone, pursuing what I thought would bring security, only to discover the emptiness and foolishness of my sinful ways. How I thank God for His relentless pursuit of me with His love. Words cannot begin to express my gratitude for God sending Jesus to pay the price for my sin and to set me free. Jesus left His comforts of heaven, spent His life showing us the ways of God, and shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Now Jesus leaves us with a choice. Will you spend your life following me, or will you choose another path?