Happy New Year!! It's time for resolutions and goals and planning the year to achieve the ever-elusive "balance." I have read - 2 times - in the past few months Nancy Ortberg's "Looking For God." First - if you have not read this - go buy it! it is so amazing and so very liberating. I want to specifically share some quotes from the chapter titled "The B Word." and how her thoughts illustrate my everyday life - as a wife, daughter, mom, friend, and sister in Christ to many fabulous women.
"You'd be hard pressed to find a person in the Bible who was noted for his or her "balanced life.""
" You can build a case for a lot of things from the Bible - picking up your cross, denying yourself, abandoning yourself to a good God, paying the cost of discipleship - but there aren't a lot of case studies on balance."
"Balance gives the illusion of control. The comfort of order."
We love the idea of balance because we love to be in control - it's part of our sinful nature. Leading an un-balanced, Christ focused life means giving up our control. We make lists, charts, color coding systems, labeling systems, ad nauseam to try to gain control over this wild ride called LIFE. You know what? God hasn't designed us to be in control - news flash, I know!
Just to give you a glimpse of a totally un-balanced life ... let me share what we've been going with a 2 week break from school and work. Spending time with family, sharing meals with friends we have not seen in ages, comforting a dear friend diagnosed with cancer, laughing hysterically while we attempt to learn a new video game and having play dates. Are there other things on my never ending list - sure! But, I am learning to give up some control, enjoy the days God has given me, find His glory in the circumstances of every day, and to try - desperately - to soak it all in.
As the new year dawns, I have things in my mind that I hope to accomplish in 2010, who doesn't? But, rather than be a slave to my list or to enlist someone to keep me accountable to a set of goals, I am seeking prayer warriors to keep me totally committed to living each and every day for the glory of God. The rest will fall into place. Will my house always be clean - nope. Will all the laundry always be done - nope. Will every wall of every room be decorated - nope. But ...
Will we always have room for visitors - absolutely. Will we laugh, hug, kiss, and love every day - absolutely. Will we give God all the glory for it - absolutely!! Will we live by simple faith, knowing that God is all powerful, all knowing, and sovereign - ABSOLUTELY!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment