Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Enough is Enough!

I was talking with a good friend of mine recently. We were making the observation that we really lack energy these days but then there are others, even older than us that could probably run circles around us. We were wondering what they were doing that we weren't. We were discussing nutrition and exercise, wondering if we just needed to exercise more and eat better. We both came to the conclusion however that even if we did those things it still would not be enough. I think sometimes the Lord allows us to struggle so we can come to the conclusion that we can not even lift a finger without Him. This is a tremendous grace. Some people never come to this realization and they think that they are enough and can get through life on their own.

In the last twenty years, one of the main things the Lord has been trying to teach me is to rest in Him and the fact that I can do nothing apart from Him. He continues to bring me to new levels in this awareness. There are days I feel like I am spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere. One thing that came to me is that my main goal each day needs to be to encounter Jesus and help my children encounter Jesus above anything else. I have been committed to starting each day with prayer, reading scripture and ending my day with prayer but after I felt the Lord put that on my heart, I began to examine my prayer life. I realized that even though I made sure I started my day off with prayer, I was often rushed and distracted, thinking about all I needed to do that day. I was viewing prayer more like a box to check off on a 'to do list'. Spending the time to rest and soak in the Lord's presence at the beginning of the day often seemed like a luxury I could not afford instead of a necessity I could not live without. 

2 comments:

  1. Yes! For many years now, I've had a regular adoration hour that falls in the middle of the day each Wednesday. In the early days, I would feel "burdened" when it was time to wrap up what I was working on and head over to the chapel. "Sigh, but I have to do ________ [fill in the blank with any random work task or household chore]."
    Oh boy, was I mistaken! The only thing I ever have to do is sit before the Lord! He makes all things happen that He wants to have happen. Now I'd like to take my blanket and pillow and camp out in the chapel for days!

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  2. Thank you for your feedback and for sharing! I wish our church had adoration more than once a month. Even so, I would usually try to encounter Him and rest in His presence everyday unless I had something extraordinary going on, like someone in our household being sick every day for the last several months. I am finding that even then and especially then, I can not afford to to forgo this practice. He is always bringing me to higher levels of surrender and trust!

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