Really, who would do that? Make life harder, that is. That’s crazy, right?
But I keep catching myself doing it, and I’d like to explore the reason why.
This is a bold thing to say (but I believe in transparency there is humility and in humility there is great growth): I think the reasons why I continually fall into the trap of making my life harder can be put into two categories. One is “good” (in quotations because it’s obviously not truly good!), and one is bad.
So…the “good” one first. Since giving my entire being, choices, and future to the Lord at the age of 13, I have not thought of my happiness or my ease as one of the points of discussion when making most decisions. Decisions are usually made based on other criteria, such as: what is better for these specific other people, or what is “God leading me to do” with a nice long drawn out “e” in the word “leading”, because that word has to be emphasized when declaring your next choice in life, am I right? I don’t have an answer for this, because there are definitely times God calls us to do things that are everything from nonsensical to uncomfortable to personally devastating!! He is God and He sees the end from the beginning, and I trust Him! But I wonder how many times He watched me choose the stressful, overachieving path for absolutely no reason other than I thought the hard way HAD to be the best way. Hmm…Just a thought.
And the “bad” method of making my life harder is wavering from the basics of what I know to be true, right, wholesome, life-giving living. Our life gets harder, our focus gets out of whack, our resolve gets talked down when we lose sight of the foundational truths and callings we have previously set our course straight on. What do we need to get back to? We’re all different but we all have disciplines of the mind and body that help us stay out of pits.It may be as simple as getting in bed at a decent hour regularly, and it might mean quitting something we just started because it has thrown a kink in the works and it would be better to end it now than give it time to cause more confusion and chaos. It may be finding creative ways to keep the connection strong between us and the Lord. Having Spiritual Alzheimer’s means keeping that connection fresh and ongoing!
Jesus came to give us LIFE, full and abundant, wise and free. He also said in this world we would have troubles, to not be surprised at them, but to know He has overcome every one of them in His own way and time, that He is still in charge no matter what. It’s clear from scripture that difficulties are allowed to refine us and give us a chance to use our faith muscles, which results in a true act of worship and adoration of God. I guess what I’m trying to say is pretty simple. These things are coming whether we want them or not, but there are so many ways we make the blessings into burdens and allow our day-to-day lives to be less than joyful—less than enjoyable—just because we feel guilty for not being purposeful every minute. Or maybe that’s just me. 🙂
I want to remember this. Obedience doesn’t mean doing a million good things. Obedience means doing the exact things (be they few and insignificant,or many and powerful) our Teacher says to do…and maybe He is yelling RECESS a little more often than we think.
It’s good to have these sweet little reminders (these are my girls and their cousin) of the good that comes from “wasting time” sometimes! JOY!
