Last week, like most, was a busy one at the Triplett house. My family transitioned out of one sport and into another. We had hay delivered for this winter which has been predicted to be harder than the last. Here in northeast TN that means a brutal winter is ahead which makes a farmers life challenging to protect all the creatures God has left to our care. We had several activities at church and farm business to conduct. Life is great and we are very blessed.
I am sure that your lives are equally full and blessings abound that take up much/most/all of your "free time." Our closeness to Christ can be challenging to maintain during our most hectic times but is, never the less, dependent on our devotion to Him and His purpose. Our thought life as well as our productivity is often consumed with wholesome but meaningless time eaters. We go through life feeling successful if we make it to the next thing on our itinerary on time.
We get up, have our quiet time while sipping on a cup of coffee. (You know every good Christian has coffee stains all over proverbs!) Then the mad dash! Shower, kids breakfast, bus, then work, (then back to school to drop the lunch your little blessing forgot to take) then car line, homework in the car on your way to ballet, ball practice, voice lessons, then you screech in just in time for your shift at the soup kitchen or to set up for women's bible study (Gasp! I can hear you. But Jill, that's for the Lord!?!) then home, supper, bath, laundry, and don't forget those AWANA verses!
Does that sound familiar? Our lives should be productive. "As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart." Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 And by a global standard, those living in the United States are wealthy. If we consider however, that our lives do not belong to ourselves, and with the price by which we have been purchased unto salvation, what are we supposed to be doing? And what interferes with us continually drawing closer to Christ? I have prayed for God to show me what that looks like in my life. And am still daily trying to navigate my way to a position that is closer to Christ. Everyone's life is different, our purpose is unique and our giftings are specific to the plan God has for us.
Now back to that soup kitchen remark, if you are still reading. God does not expect us to champion every cause that is good. Yes, someone is suppose to devote time to serve others in our local soup kitchens and homeless shelters. But it is not everyone. "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:" 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 We must work with our hands and our minds according to the service we are called. And we, meaning Christians, are ALL called to service for our Savior. Let me be clear. It is not ok to fill our lives with frivolous activities so we can entertain and amuse ourselves or our children and sacrifice the time we have to be obedient to the calling of God on our lives. We have to say no to whatever we are not called to do, so we have available those blocks of time we need to accomplish His purpose in our lives because remember, it is not our life anymore. And often that may mean piano or soccer, Facebook or movies, TV or ladies night out, and sometimes, as odd as it may sound, that may even be the hours in the soup kitchen if that is not our calling. Just because it is a good deed does not mean it is our deed. And we cannot, must not, substitute our true calling, even if it is uncomfortable to us, to work in the soup kitchen instead. That results in no one doing the job YOU are called to do. The work of the Lord must not be an after thought.
I am not telling you what activities are right for your family. Kevin and I are still daily trying to discern what activities are right for our own family! For every person it is different. But one thing I do know is, if there is no time for serving Christ in a tangible way then you are not being obedient to your calling. Dear friend, like I have said before, our lives are not our own and we were bought with a price, redeemed by the blood of Christ. We must leave the pursuit of worldly pleasures and the perpetual desire for endless amusement, and come away with Christ. And lastly, I want to share with you that when you experience the joy of being available, being an instrument in the hand of God, and being used to advance His kingdom, it is overwhelming and life changing. That is key to living a life that is closer to Christ.
Nicely done, Jill! This reminds me of something I heard a long time ago -- Sometimes we need to give up the good to have the best! Whatever God has for me to do is best for me and if I say yes to all of the good stuff there is to do I won't have time, energy, strength or capacity to do what is best! I've also come to realize that if I do what I perceive to be good, I have a really good chance of either taking away someone else's "best" and robbing them of the blessing or possibly getting in the way of something different that would have an even greater eternal impact!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! Great Job!