Have you ever been in a season where there seems like there’s a million things to do? To the point where your surroundings seem to be blurry? Where at times the biggest challenge of the day is to simply look forward to what is right in front of you?
This has been one of the most challenging seasons for me personally since becoming a believer. I’m thankful as I’m going through it because I can see more and more what God is doing, how He is growing me and sanctifying me, and at the same time it’s incredibly painful, vulnerable, and continues to reveal to me how often I really don’t trust The Lord.
Not too long ago I was going about my day pretty overwhelmed with all the things we had to do from selling our house, finding a new home, getting ready to leave to a new city, etc. and that night let’s just say our kids weren’t being the most obedient of kids, and I found myself almost treating them like “they were in the way.” I know that sounds terrible, but it’s true. I probably should have called this post my sinful confession, but I’ve already done that multiple times here and here. :)
That night I was at a loss for words because I realized how I went about my day. I was doing all of these things, but I was neglecting HOW I was doing all of them. I quickly threw character out of the window because it was “in the way” of my performance to get everything I needed to get done. That same night, I had a friend share with me some great wisdom on this.
He reminded me that our kids won’t ever remember what we had to get done, but how we got them done. He shared that they will watch more how we carry ourselves day to day and if we were joyful in The Lord or not.
That’s exactly right and that’s exactly where things went wrong that day.
How often do we focus only on the task at hand that needs to be done VS our hearts and how we carry ourselves when completing those tasks?
Jesus was more concerned with the matters of the heart VS what we could ever accomplish. Over and over again with people He met, He addressed matters of the heart…what was on the inside…what their motivations were…their character and integrity, etc.
I could be the most productive person that has ever existed and accomplish more for my family than anyone else in the universe, but still completely miss out on glorifying God at the same time and miss the point.
Time and time again in this season God has been reminding me of trust. Do I really trust Him in the day to day provision for us? Do I really trust Him in the season we are going through? Do I really trust Him for the future? And at the end of the day, do my actions and HOW I carry myself reflect joy in The Lord and His plans or do they reflect something else?
It will never be about how many things I or any of us ever can get done, but we go about getting those things done and how we remember that Jesus has done everything on our behalf.
First, let me say how excited I am for you guys as you step into this new chapter in your lives of planting a church. Thank you for having the courage to do that with your family! I’m also very aware of my tendency to get so focused on a task that I neglect where my heart is going in the process. I love that Jesus is described as the “shepherd and overseer of our souls” (1 Peter 2:25). He sees the stuff inside and tends to it. My heart needs a lot of tending. Thanks for your incredible vulnerability… Read more »
Thanks so much for sharing Erin and thank you for the encouragement!
Thank you for the post. It was almost like talking to myself. This is what am going through presently.
Awesome Isaac, you’re welcome. Thanks so much for sharing. Having to remind myself about this over and over again right now in this season.