Dec 6, 2013

Sacrifice, Part 2: God's Answer

Yesterday, I wrestled with my schedule in Part 1, and with the sacrifices required to keep it. Today, God’s answer.

God patiently waited for me to work through this in my mind, then gave me a revelation on how He viewed my sacrifice:

I sacrificed being led by the Spirit for being driven by a schedule!

I had to laugh. Only God could break the tension of a heavy moment with truth that brings a relieved giggle. Whether I plan to write, or plan NOT to write, I’m still trying to make a schedule. Don’t get me wrong, I think schedules are important and we need to have order in our lives. God is a God of order and not chaos.

But when that schedule replaces God as our guide, it becomes an idol that we worship by giving in to its demands. We lose our joy, our patience, and most of our other spiritual fruit as we lash out at anyone who messes with our schedule. Instead of walking hand-in-hand with the Lord and allowing Him to lead us at His pace, we march in strict time to a relentless schedule of demands that can never be fully met.

I had lost my joy. I had lost my peace. And I was about to lose my mind over a dream that wasn’t even close to reality. All because of a perceived should be doing mentality. I should be writing more, I should be relaxing less, I should be…you name it, I should be doing it. My priorities were all out of order, and I had no idea how to determine what was most important.

But God. I think these are my favorite two words. I don’t know where I’d be without Him – without His love, His grace, His forgiveness, and His mercy. I sometimes forget that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice so that I could enjoy freedom in relationship with Him, being led by His spirit. I don't need to panic over what might come tomorrow, I just need to be thankful I know the One who knows...and I know He is faithful.

I may write next week, I may not. I may write a long post, or a short one. I may write every day as the Lord shows me something new. Or my next blog post may be in January.

Only He knows….and He’s not telling.

TODAY'S CHALLENGE: Offer your schedule to the Lord, and allow Him to set your priorities.

4 comments:

  1. I live next door to an older couple who enjoy my visits. Some afternoons I feel prompted to go over, my mind reminds me that I'm supposed to write. I'm slow in learning to sacrifice my schedule to God's plan for the day.

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    1. Me too - I often "see" what He wanted me to do when I look back over my shoulder. But me too, I'm learning not to feel guilty about what I perceive to be getting sidetracked. Thank you for your comment, you really bless me, Sherry!

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  2. Learning to savor the moment because God is in control and 'Father knows best' is not easy. But everything goes oh so much better when we allow God to be in control.

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    1. Yep! I remember this green stone with a saying on it that some wise person gave to me: Let go, and let God. I still have it in my kitchen :-). Thanks, Mom, I appreciate your support!

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