It's about that time again. I have to tell you, I have had some bad weeks. Okay a bad month and a half. I am away from my family and in a situation that is different than the one that I have been accustomed to. I haven't been playing my guitar because I don't want to make a lot of noise in the residence hall. I can't seem to connect with people that share my faith. It has been tough. I am so busy with school work that I struggle reading my Bible and spending time in prayer. It is tough.
It's important for me not to get myself thinking too much. You know what I mean? Like I just think about this assignment or this problem and it distracts me. I get stressed about how my house is holding up or the safety of my wife's car? Important issues, absolutely, but I can't let them bog me down. I need...wait scratch that...I must take time and relax. Time to close my eyes and talk with the one entity that knows what I love, what I hate, why I cry, and why I will wait.
It's important for me not to get myself thinking too much. You know what I mean? Like I just think about this assignment or this problem and it distracts me. I get stressed about how my house is holding up or the safety of my wife's car? Important issues, absolutely, but I can't let them bog me down. I need...wait scratch that...I must take time and relax. Time to close my eyes and talk with the one entity that knows what I love, what I hate, why I cry, and why I will wait.
I don't want this to be super cheesy...I know you are already thinking it...TOO LATE. But it's something I struggle with and I want to progress, and I stress progress, to a point at which this just happens normally. I don't want to get stressed out and loose grasp of my Father's love. I don't want to create a situation in which I get so bogged down in my own mud that I can't help others to get out of their's. I want to be available for God's use. I want to be focused on the big picture not the small stuff. How do I do it?
I think the easy answer is to just get up and do it. Easy to say but totally incomprehensible when determining how to do it. The path is easy to identify but difficult to move to. I need to better my situation. I am going to get down to business. I am going to develop a plan in which I am ACTIVELY seeking the one who created me. Reading, Reflection, Prayer, and Worship. All of these things need to be done before I can help others. In other words, I need to love God before I can truly love others.
Now I am not saying I need to focus so much on myself that I forget about others. In reality I have taken offense to so many Christian churches around the world that focus on themselves rather than helping those who are in need. It is a question of stagnation. If you aren't familiar with this let me explain. Water that doesn't move, it sits, there is very little flow, is boring. It is fun to sit by and read but you rarely find tons of people wanting to go hang out at a pond that is so still that algae grows in tremendous proportions. My faith and the that of some churches compares similarly at times to that of a stagnant body of water.
I would rather mine be like a rushing river. Like that of a river people white water raft on. (notice I say people because as much as I love hiking and camping...white water rafting scares the jeebers out of me!) I picture a faith that is dynamic. That keeps me on my toes. That encompasses me to the point at which I am growing my skills of navigation. That rushes so fast that bacteria and icky algae can't grow. A river like this attracts people! A river like this will throw some turns and waterfalls in but for what it lacks in reliability at times it makes up for it with beauty. I want a journey that allows me to progress and not be stagnant. A journey that I will always know that God is in the boat with me helping understand the next turn and the proper way to tie a jig. (not sure what a jig is but it sounded like a nautical term, so I decided to use it. With that being said don't let it distract you God's got the whole boat and my lack of nautical terminology taken care of!)
Some may say that this is a belief that is not focused in Biblical truth. I understand that the road to the Father can sometimes be a slow high labor work but that is only one bend in my river. I must, through God's continued grace, push myself to continue down to the river. I don't typically share prayers with other people (kind of a special thing for me), but this is what I will be praying until I get out of this stagnant pool.
God, Help me to get back in the boat. Push me to actively navigate. Help those who are on the river with me. Whisper words of encouragement and hope into their hearts. Strengthen my drive so that I may handle the turns that I will encounter. You are good. You are great. You allow choice and understand brokenness. Thank you for all that You have done and continue to do in my life ~ Amen
I think the easy answer is to just get up and do it. Easy to say but totally incomprehensible when determining how to do it. The path is easy to identify but difficult to move to. I need to better my situation. I am going to get down to business. I am going to develop a plan in which I am ACTIVELY seeking the one who created me. Reading, Reflection, Prayer, and Worship. All of these things need to be done before I can help others. In other words, I need to love God before I can truly love others.
Now I am not saying I need to focus so much on myself that I forget about others. In reality I have taken offense to so many Christian churches around the world that focus on themselves rather than helping those who are in need. It is a question of stagnation. If you aren't familiar with this let me explain. Water that doesn't move, it sits, there is very little flow, is boring. It is fun to sit by and read but you rarely find tons of people wanting to go hang out at a pond that is so still that algae grows in tremendous proportions. My faith and the that of some churches compares similarly at times to that of a stagnant body of water.
I would rather mine be like a rushing river. Like that of a river people white water raft on. (notice I say people because as much as I love hiking and camping...white water rafting scares the jeebers out of me!) I picture a faith that is dynamic. That keeps me on my toes. That encompasses me to the point at which I am growing my skills of navigation. That rushes so fast that bacteria and icky algae can't grow. A river like this attracts people! A river like this will throw some turns and waterfalls in but for what it lacks in reliability at times it makes up for it with beauty. I want a journey that allows me to progress and not be stagnant. A journey that I will always know that God is in the boat with me helping understand the next turn and the proper way to tie a jig. (not sure what a jig is but it sounded like a nautical term, so I decided to use it. With that being said don't let it distract you God's got the whole boat and my lack of nautical terminology taken care of!)
Some may say that this is a belief that is not focused in Biblical truth. I understand that the road to the Father can sometimes be a slow high labor work but that is only one bend in my river. I must, through God's continued grace, push myself to continue down to the river. I don't typically share prayers with other people (kind of a special thing for me), but this is what I will be praying until I get out of this stagnant pool.
God, Help me to get back in the boat. Push me to actively navigate. Help those who are on the river with me. Whisper words of encouragement and hope into their hearts. Strengthen my drive so that I may handle the turns that I will encounter. You are good. You are great. You allow choice and understand brokenness. Thank you for all that You have done and continue to do in my life ~ Amen
RSS Feed