Chocolate, Priorities, Time, and Life

I love chocolate.  And homemade cookies.  I also love spending time with my friends, reading, and working outside.  But more than these, I love God and seeing Him working in my life.

I read a post this morning by Lynn Blackburn in her blog Out of The Boat. It was about being intentional in everything we do, and it got me thinking.  How do I spend my time?  What are my priorities and how do my actions and relationships reflect them? So I thought and prayed about it and I need to make to make some changes.

It will require purposefully thinking every morning what I want to accomplish and reflecting on how those things show where my priorities lie. It'll take work but I think it'll be worth it.

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not against doing things for fun, or having "down time." In fact, I think that's necessary in order to take care of  me.  When I do, I'm more motivated and have more energy to focus on what matters to me most--loving God.

I think I'll read now and have some chocolate chip cookies.

Listening to the Spirit

The Holy Spirit is able to teach you all things. What He teaches you is truth, and not a lie. I John 2:27

It’s spring. The flowers bloom in my garden, and sweet-gum balls litter the lawn.

Each year I spend hours raking the sweet-gum balls off the lawn and tossing them in the trash. Yesterday I raked them into piles, scooped them into the dustpan, and tossed them in the trash. When I re-examined the area, I found another one, picked it up and threw it away.

The further I walked, the more I found. I was surprised at how many I’d overlooked. How could I not have seen them? I’d already gone over the area, but had missed them somehow.

I realized this mirrored my spiritual life. It’s easy for me to go about my days and overlook some of my sins. I fail to recognize them even as I evaluate my life. So I need to pray continually, and pay attention to the Holy Spirit as He reveals my sins. Then I need to abandon these, and replace them with what glorifies God.

Just as clearing my yard of sweet gum balls is a process that takes time and has to be done continually, so ridding my life of sin is an ongoing practice that I need to make time for. Both require paying attention to detail and working to get rid of what doesn’t belong. Only by looking to Him, and listening for His voice, can I hear Him convict me of my sin.

How about you?  Do you go through your days simply moving from one task to the next and checking them off your to-do list? Or, do you stop to listen to the Spirit, learn what He wants you to do, and follow through with what He reveals?

Ouch!

Last week I had surgery to remove a soft tissue mass from my baby toe. It had been there for about a year but I'd ignored it, figuring it'd shrink and eventually go away.  But it didn't.  Instead, it grew. As it did, it became increasingly painful and eventually affected how I functioned. 

When the doctor removed the mass and sewed up the wound, he wrapped it in gauze and applied medicine to keep it clean so the healing could continue. And I had to wear this funky shoe for a couple weeks.  Once enough time passed, the doctor took it off; now I'm back to wearing regular shoes. 

It reminds me of other things in my life that aren't right, but I ignore them, figuring they'll get better or go away on their own. Sometimes that works, but other times, I have to take action. Fixing it takes time, and, depending on what it is, there may be scars left, like the one on my toe.  But the wound is gone.

Time management is one thing I've struggled with for years. I make a list of tasks to complete and set an amount of time for each thing, but sticking to it isn't easy for me. How about you? Is there anything in your life you'd rather ignore, hoping it'll just go away like the mass on my toe?  I hope I'm not the only who wrestles with these things. I'd love to hear what works for you.  

Beauty, Part 3

It takes time for beauty to appear the way a gardener envisions it.  Planting the flower required preparation of the soil, and providing it with water, and food on a regular basis. My goal is for it to add to the overall picture of the garden, or perhaps become part of a bouquet.  

In either case, growth is part of the process. No longer does it look like the bulb I planted originally. Though it's not reached the ultimate goal I have for it,  it’s growth is clear. It needs time to fully mature, but it’s well on its way. 

I’m in the same boat when it comes to God’s plan for my life.  I’ve grown as a result of the nurture and care He has provided, largely through others.  I haven’t “arrived”, but I know He will continue to mold and shape me to be more like Him. He is, after all, the Master Gardener.

How about you?  How has God worked in your life to mold and shape you to mirror His image? Don’t forget to join the conversation.