If any of you out there have been waiting for the next "Jericho" blog, sorry. Obviously, I've been very "off-line" on blogging lately. I kinda feel like the ball in one of those vintage (notice I didn't say old!) game machines (for the life of me, I can't recall what it's called....so maybe I should call it old!). If I can find a picture online, I'll attach it so you know what I'm talking about.
Anyway, back to being distracted, here's the honest truth: I've been the same with my devotional time too. I can't seem to stay on task there either. It's a crazy thing because I'll go for months when I'm reading through a book of the Bible and just devouring it and gleaning so much truth and then it seems like out of the blue I'm off track and floundering to get back into a routine.
Haley & I were discussing this dilemma the other day, and she realized she had to make a major change. The pastor where we used to go to church has said many times from the pulpit, "Doing the same things the same way and expecting different results is INSANITY!" So true! Haley decided she needed a complete change in her morning routine. So she now gets up and showers, dresses, etc and heads to a nearby coffee shop to spend an hour with Jesus. She said it's been wonderful.
Guess it's time I consider what needs to change in my worn-out routine too. I've tried using an additional resource, but so far that hasn't worked either. So just as the old addage goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.", so the converse is true, "If it IS broke, do fix it!" Maybe I need to change the location . Maybe not.
Maybe someone out there needed to hear that someone else is struggling. If so, I'm your girl today! And what I've come to learn through alot of years of walking with Jesus are 2 key things-
#1 He's oh so patient and longsuffering! And though I may be distracted from Him, He's absolutely not distracted from me! I continue to be "the apple of His eye" and amazingly, so are you! His "Godness" enables Him to focus on all of us fully without taking away from anyone. Simply amazing!
#2 A distracted external life is probably overflow from a distracted devotional life. This is certainly the case with me right now!
For those of you who are in a rut like me, take heart. He is FOR us and will place NEW thoughts and ideas in our brains so we can change it up. I've seen Him do this time and time again in my life. BUT, He wants me to recognize when this is happening, and then come to Him for His help.
For those of you who are not in a rut like me, praise the Lord!
Either way, it'd be great to hear some feedback so I and others can read what has worked and what hasn't. We NEED to learn from each other! That's part of the benefit of being connected to the body of Christ.
Ok, the light bulb just went off! It's called a pinball machine!!!! :-) Lord, You do have a sense of humor!!! And, see He can put NEW thoughts in our OLD brains!!!
Anyway, back to being distracted, here's the honest truth: I've been the same with my devotional time too. I can't seem to stay on task there either. It's a crazy thing because I'll go for months when I'm reading through a book of the Bible and just devouring it and gleaning so much truth and then it seems like out of the blue I'm off track and floundering to get back into a routine.
Haley & I were discussing this dilemma the other day, and she realized she had to make a major change. The pastor where we used to go to church has said many times from the pulpit, "Doing the same things the same way and expecting different results is INSANITY!" So true! Haley decided she needed a complete change in her morning routine. So she now gets up and showers, dresses, etc and heads to a nearby coffee shop to spend an hour with Jesus. She said it's been wonderful.
Guess it's time I consider what needs to change in my worn-out routine too. I've tried using an additional resource, but so far that hasn't worked either. So just as the old addage goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.", so the converse is true, "If it IS broke, do fix it!" Maybe I need to change the location . Maybe not.
Maybe someone out there needed to hear that someone else is struggling. If so, I'm your girl today! And what I've come to learn through alot of years of walking with Jesus are 2 key things-
#1 He's oh so patient and longsuffering! And though I may be distracted from Him, He's absolutely not distracted from me! I continue to be "the apple of His eye" and amazingly, so are you! His "Godness" enables Him to focus on all of us fully without taking away from anyone. Simply amazing!
#2 A distracted external life is probably overflow from a distracted devotional life. This is certainly the case with me right now!
For those of you who are in a rut like me, take heart. He is FOR us and will place NEW thoughts and ideas in our brains so we can change it up. I've seen Him do this time and time again in my life. BUT, He wants me to recognize when this is happening, and then come to Him for His help.
For those of you who are not in a rut like me, praise the Lord!
Either way, it'd be great to hear some feedback so I and others can read what has worked and what hasn't. We NEED to learn from each other! That's part of the benefit of being connected to the body of Christ.
Ok, the light bulb just went off! It's called a pinball machine!!!! :-) Lord, You do have a sense of humor!!! And, see He can put NEW thoughts in our OLD brains!!!
4 comments:
I have found that I tend to get myself in fixes when I set rules that are mine, not God's. I can get so "Martha" about my quiet time, that when it doesn't go quite right, I get upset or beat myself up.
Paul says we are to pray without ceasing. Praying meaning..talk to God without ceasing. He is with us all the time...and like a good friend, he wants to be with us no matter where we are. He doesn't demand certain rigors, just our attention, our time.
So on days/weeks when I feel like fast food devotions are all I can do, I remember that God wants to be with me, and he is,wherever I am and that I can talk to him as we move through the day.
My best morning time is on the way to work. I have to get up so early, to have quiet time before my family gets up that I fall asleep and feel guilty for falling alseep on the Lord. So I spend morning time with him on the way to work..just me, just him in the car. I am awake.:) He speaks to my heart, holds my hand,and sometimes uses a song to reach me on New Life.
We make it hard .....with our rules..too much "Martha-ism" when all he wants us to do is slow down, as Mary and sit at his feet.
thanks for the feedback Ramblin Rose! good reminder about Martha-ism....God has been doing a work in me for years to bring out more of the Mary in me. we need both but oh how important it is to sit at His feet, no matter what the actual location is! because i do not have to leave for a job first thing in the morning, i have the opportunity to have a specific morning time w/ Him and have found that when i don't, my day quickly becomes all about me. there is soooo much in this world to drag us down, influence us, etc that i have to spend intentional, regular time in His Word so that it can "wash" over me as Paul said and filter out all the world's garbage from the previous day. i taught a class once on how to have a quiet time in a busy world and encountered alot of people who all had very different schedules. there is no set "formula" that we can all use, i know that!
Sherri, I never really thought of it this way before but I my self made some changes to my routine months back and found my self looking forward to getting up and spending time with my Jesus. I thought at the time, okay, I got it this time, I have a good routine that I enjoy following, no problem now. NOT SO! Months later here I am struggling again! Now that I have read your thoughts on this and what Haley is doing, im thinking, hmmm "changing it up" sounds like an excellent idea. Im excited and im going to think of a new way to change it up, AGAIN.
Genice, praise the Lord if my blogging has helped you to realize the "rut" you (and I!) have fallen into...i'll be praying for you that He will place a new idea in your head to change it up....for your good and His glory. I love you yadagirl!!!
Post a Comment