What keeps you from doing the things God created you to do? Some things are to fulfill a personal dream or a desire, like me starting a blog. I have lots of reasons why I never started the blog before:
- "I like to write, but I'm not good at technical stuff so I wouldn't know how to do those things."
- "Even if I could get one going, I don't know if I could figure out how to make it look as good as some of the other blogs I read."
- "Who would even want to read it?"
- "What if some does read it and thinks I'm no good?"
Some things we put off doing are those things that we know we "should" do, like eat better, exercise, spend time with the Lord each day, read to our kids, etc. We know that our life would improve if we did those things, but we lack the motivation or direction to get started, or to keep doing it.
When I decided that I really was going to start this blog I was thinking it would be a good place for us (you and me, my Warrior Princess friends) to post what we are doing to bring about personal growth in our spiritual, physical, emotional, and even financial areas of our lives. I know I would be encouarged to hear how God is directing you and enabling you to start working toward those things you know that He is calling you to have more self-discipline in.
I'm so glad that I stopped making excuses this week and started this blog. Honestly, it was probably fear that kept me from doing it, fear and maybe even laziness. But after reading the chapter on The Sacred Present in Cynthia Heald's book Becoming a Woman of Simplicity, I asked myself, "What am I doing to make the most of each day?" I am not being hard on myself. There are things that I am being disciplined in and definitely like the results that I am seeing, but there are things that I could, maybe even should, be doing to make the most of my time.
I guess the other reason I've been thinking about this is that I realize that what I do today will help prepare me for tomorrow. This struck home recently when a sweet Christian man that I know suddenly found himself in a situation that he had longed for for the last 7 years. However, he had become complacent and hadn't disciplined himself to grow and prepare himself over the past 7 years. The sad result was that since he wasn't prepared he quite literally couldn't do what God set before him, the thing he had longed for. I don't want to finally arrive at the things I've been longing for only to find that I had wasted my time hoping, longing, whining, and not preparing for the good things that my Father has been waiting to give to me.
So, as I was reading the chapter on "The Sacred Present" I thought, "I can't create a perfect blog in one day (or even one week), but I can start one and learn one new thing about blogging each week. In a month I should have a blog and be able to put links in it, customize the layout, and post pictures. I can't do it all in one day, but I can do a little each week. In fact, I realized that my old besetting sins of perfection and pride had been part of what was keeping me from doing this. I confessed those and have put in their place just doing what I can do today to God's glory. This blog may have no eternal significance other than it has refined my thinking to be more concerned about what God thinks than what people think.
Ephesians 5:15-16
Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Proverbs 31:27
She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness.
So, what's the one thing you are going to work on this week? Is it something spiritual, physical, emotional, or financial? Actually, anything He is calling us to work on is spiritual work. So, will you post a comment or send me your story to post so that we might encourage one another as we start taking steps toward the things He is calling us to do now? I would love to hear from you!
Sole Deo Gloria,
WPS
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