Be Still. Do Less. Be More.

My new year's resolution was to "Be Still." I'm still working on it, and I've added a tagline of "Do Less, Be More."

I wake up with 6,000 thoughts on my mind and sometimes want to plunge right into doing...

If I am too busy to “be still,” I will likely miss the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. I will miss going to my God for deep refreshing, and I will end up trying to do things on my own strength.

If I am too busy to read the Word, I am missing out on Truth. I am going from memory only -- and sometimes that is not so good. J

Jesus prayed for His disciples to be “sanctified by the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17) Sanctified comes from the Greek word hagiazo, which means "set apart for sacred use."

If I'm too busy to read the Word, how can I be set apart? I may miss being used by God for His Glory. I may miss seeing Him working, I may miss the opportunity to share His love with someone who really needs it... and I may miss the blessings He had for me to experience... all because I am too wrapped up in getting things done.

So many times, my mind leaps back to productivity. It's like I want to redeem every minute of every day so I can fit more good things in it. Do. Do. Do. But that leads to multi-tasking, overloading, not being present in the moment and missing out on relationships. It's the Mary and Martha story (Luke 10:38-42), all over again! I'm a human being, not a human doing. I realize there are times I need to DO less and just BE more. I want to choose what is needed, what is better... and often that means taking time to be refreshed at the feet of Jesus.

Heavenly Father, please help me to hear Your beautiful "still small voice" and to be available to You today. Refresh me so I can BE who you need me to be. Your Word is Truth. Sanctify me by Your Truth!

Do you sometimes have a tendency to DO too much? Do you want to DO less, BE More?

Wisdom Over Worldly Things

It was a beautiful song, now that I'd finally been able to listen to all the words.

Before this, I'd heard only fragments of the lyrics, and I had no idea how it would move me.

The same way, God is speaking to us through many sources, but we may hear only fragments at a time. He may use an inspirational  reading, a stimulating conversation, a perplexing problem or a story in the news...

Then in the quiet, we begin to process and put the pieces together.

Some of it begins to make sense, other things remain a mystery, for now. God shapes our perspective to give us a higher thinking; wisdom over worldly things. Instead of going with the flow of the world around us, our thinking begins to rise above, our perspective takes on a new capacity. We begin to realize things we can do.

The world groans for Godly solutions. Poverty, disease and oppression in the wider world view; as well as misguided pursuits, loneliness and suffering near to us, too.

God has given us what we need to reduce or solve many of these problems. He has given us resources and talents that match the gaps around us. Best of all, God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Holy Spirit molds and shapes our hearts, and ignites the passions within us. He gives us the courage, the confidence and the cause!

As author Max Lucado says, "There are 145 million orphans worldwide and there are 236 million people in the U.S. that call themselves Christians. From a purely statistical standpoint, American Christians have the wherewithal to house every orphan in the world.

But I am only one person, I think. How can I solve the world's problems? I can't do it all, but I can do something. Why do these injustices remain when there are Christians with big hearts and amazing talents spread all over the earth?

Is it because we lack the quiet times? Maybe we are so busy in our own worlds doing what we think needs to be done, that we don't take enough time to listen for God's voice, to process what He is saying, to let Him fully equip us for what really needs to be done. We want to hear Him. But we often let our good intentions be drowned out by other distractions, all to settle for a lesser satisfaction. (You know, settling for what's good instead of what's best.)

If we miss the quiet, we may miss the wisdom of how the pieces fit together. We may miss out on being a part of the solution. We may miss the lyrics of the beautiful song that could be sung.

Dear Lord, help us to tune our ears to you so we can reach that higher perspective. My heart longs for solutions for hurting people. I will work to preserve that special quiet time with you. I will do what I know now, focus on listening, and trust you for each next step.

Proverbs 8:34 [Wisdom calls...] Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.

Do you have enough quiet in your life to put together the fragments of what God is telling you? How do you preserve that quiet?

Abiding Fully

The Holy Spirit abides inside every believer. We have full access to Him. Yet not every one of us gives Him full access and control. Day by day, our journey is about turning more and more over to His control -- abiding also in Him -- so that He can work in us and through us to bring about His glory.

Life is made up of individual challenges and decisions and influences. It can be overwhelming at times. But increasingly, as we are able to surrender more of our lives to Him, He makes those pieces fall into place. He alone is the One who knows How to complete the puzzle!

I thought of many varied conversations, perplexities and disciplines that are shaping my life right now. And every once in awhile, I get just a "glimpse" of the big picture. It's as if I see the scenery on the front of the puzzle box -- for just a moment -- and I know what I need to do to work toward completion for that beautiful view.

God is fully alive in us, and He has every means of working in our lives. But sometimes I stifle Him by wanting to retain too much control. Sometimes I settle for "good" when I could have had "great" or "glorious."

I realize, once again, that I can't hurry God. I can't say, "Answer faster." His ways are high above our ways, His thoughts high above our thoughts. (Is. 55:8-9 NIV) It would be like force-fitting the pieces of the puzzle into place to complete it hastily instead of enduring the wait, being patient for the right fit.

Lord, I do not want a "quick" answer -- I want Your answer! Once more I surrender, as best I know how, to let You reign over every area of my life. God, I trust You to be the One who puts each piece into place for Your glory!

See For Yourself

Ever been drawn to a photo of a beach in an exotic tropical paradise? The water so blue, the surf so playful, the sand so white, you could almost hear the waves coming in, taste the salt spray and feel the sun on your back?

Have you felt the call of a majestic snow-capped mountain photo, the green bluffs of Ireland, or the allure of the rugged Atlantic Seaboard? Did it take you into another world, at least for a moment?

When we read a devotional or some renowned-author’s Bible study, we can get a glimpse of another world. Those who have traveled before us help us know what to expect as we anticipate our own journey. They can entice us with attractive itineraries and lay out the best route for us as we navigate into new territory.

But just as all the gorgeous photos I had previously seen of the Grand Canyon could never fully replicate the experience of being there, the authors’ insights can never fully bring us the rich experience of going directly into the Word and seeing for ourselves.

Will you be content to see someone’s vacation photos or would you rather climb that bluff for your own breathtaking view? Will you be happy with a palm tree-lined post card or would you venture out to feel the warm sand between your toes?

Go directly to God’s Word – the Bible. Drink deeply of the refreshing cool mountain streams. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your travel guide, the Holy Spirit, who lives within you. It will be the trip of a lifetime!

Not an Introvert

I won a ticket to the Beth Moore"Living Proof" Conference. I was so fired up! Then I was asked to volunteer...I said "yes, put me where you need me." They said, "In prayer."

The first evening was fantastic. It was so fulfilling to hear nearly 7,000 women raising their voices in worship together with Travis Cottrell and his worship team! Beth framed her talk around Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." She is an excellent Bible teacher, and has a real gift for relating to a crowd as intimately as if she were having coffee in a small group.

Bright and early Saturday morning, we were excited to return for the second half of the program. "Do it Lord, that your glory may be seen...In these days that we're living now, let your Kingdom come, may your will be done," we sang with great hope. Beth covered every emotion known to women (and as we know, they are many!) and opened scripture in a way that shored up our faith.

She called women to come forward if they wished to pray with someone. As a prayer volunteer, I prayed with several women with varying burdens and cried with one of them, wishing and willing to let the Spirit flow through me and minister to these hurting women.

Hey...wait a minute. I had always thought I was an introvert. I wouldn't be comfortable in a close personal space with someone I just met! I'm not good with words...I wouldn't know what to say...to pray with someone...on the spot!

But the Holy Spirit had obviously made it possible when I yielded to let Him lead. I let go of my inhibitions and did what He asked me to do. It's amazing that I did not think again about inhibitions. I was not conscious of being uncomfortable or stretched in any way.

Whenever I look back on the event I am so fulfilled. I know God had planned for me to be there (He gave me a ticket!). My energy level has soared ever since. "I am not an introvert," I realized, "when I get my energy from the Holy Spirit!"

Of course, I still have introverted tendencies. But I realized that if I am willing, the Holy Spirit can overcome those limitations and use me anyway. Oh, what a feeling!