Are you overwhelmed with deadlines, bills, expectations, and piles of unaccomplished to-do lists? Ever feel like calling a time-out and disappearing into a deep sleep that lingers for days, only the stress of waking to the accumulation of additional extras cuts deep into your normal breathing pattern creating a swell in your chest as panic takes root and a sense of incapability is born and is nurtured with thoughts of insecurity, lonliness, misery, and weakness? Man... what were you thinking - calling a time-out at such an inopportune time as everyone around you second guesses your integrity, motives, courage, or ability?
One of the greatest lessons I ever learned was at Frontier Ranch from an amazing man, Lee Hough, who taught me, simply, to pause. My encouragement to you over the next day or two is to pause and spend 5 full minutes thinking only about the cost, the significance, and the humility of Christ and the cross he chose to endure for you. You do what you want, obviously, but I beg you to forget about you, your sin, your insecurities, your laziness and your unaccomplished tasks and simply allow the Holy Spirit to counsel you, calm you and bring new perspective as He evokes images and sweet thoughts of Jesus - only Jesus!
Even if you choose not to write about your experience, then please post "I did it!" so others may be encouraged. I pray God blesses you beyond belief and it encourages you to pause more and meditate on God's Promises.
This post is dedicated to Sydney, the awesomest kid in the whole world because she typed this whole thing perfectly for me!!!!
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My Utmost For His Highest
12 comments:
Okay Paul - here goes. I've done it, I did it (just this morning), and will continue to do it. In the last year and a half I have, at times, felt overwhelming loss. The way I have gotten through tough periods is to pause - take a deep breath - ask HIM for HIS strength, courage, comfort, and calming peace. HE never fails me. In these moments I am always reminded of all things good in my life. I am so blessed with awesome kids, an amazing family, good friends, a good job, supportive co-workers, and a beautiful world around me.
Oh - I agree, Sydney is an awesome kid!
Trina
If people only knew...Thanks, Trina. I love you so much and as always am so proud of you. It was perfect!
Just did it...it was hard. I felt like I was learning to walk...
Syd is the best! Everytime I have been around her I find myself amazed at her maturity.
I just did it in my classroom...turned out all of the lights. It was nice. I did have a hard time settling down, though. Common story for me.
By the way, Syd is my favorite person in the whole world named Sydney. MUCH LOVE, SYD!!!
Thanks for the encouragement, Palzo. This morning before our workout, I tried to gain strength through the silence you speak of instead of prayer. I realized there is a great deal of stress even in prayer. So often, I feel comforted by prayer, and there seems to be closeness to God. However, it didn’t compare to this morning when I forced myself to relax, take a few easy breaths, and calm myself before the Lord. What a great reminder that having an imagination is such a blessing. God blesses us with an imagination that can take us places with Him where there is beauty like no other. Thanks for the post!
To Syd, you‘re the best!! I’ll use this space as an opportunity to tell you and anyone else who reads this post that I love you so, so much. You’re beautiful, but above all, you have what it takes to change the world. Someday, you will amaze us with what you do with the calling God places on you.
Thanks paul for that thought, i did it last night and it was amazing. I was having a long rough day yesterday and then i just got in my room and turned off all the lights and just focused all my thoughts on Jesus and what He really did on that cross and how He would have been rightly justified to just stay in heaven and not come down to earth and feel the everyday pains of men and feel their frustration and their sorrow. Yet His love led Him down here and He did suffer for our sake and though He had/has the power to just judge us all when He came He had mercy and compassion on us without asking anything in return. Just a little nugget into my thoughts while doing this. Thanks again.
Oh and thanks to sydney for typing this for paul i probably wouldnt have been able to read it otherwise =), and sydney if you keep on being so awesome im going to have to write a song about you!
Thank you all for considering Sydney and remarking about her. She reads this blog and is one of the ones who learns alot from you guys. I can see it in her eyes when she reads about herself how good it feels. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I really appreciate it.
I did it!
Siiike ... C'mon, ya'll should know by now I don't have it in me to be that mysterious, lol.
This is exactly what I meant on my previous posts about meditation and stillness, catching a glimpse of God in the present as HE is "I AM". It has been tough, but giving myself something magnificant to reflect on, like the cross, has helped in that stillness. (thanks Paul and Syd) I hope to get to a place where I can calm my heart, mind, and spririt and truly recieve what the Lord has for me, without thinking about anything. Here is a little reflection of my journey to understanding this a little.
I am currently reading through James. Speficially, I have been meditating on 1:2-4, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." To be honest, I have always found this verse annoying. These are things I have said to God ... "I mean, c'mon now, like I know I am suppose to persevere and all, but you want me to what? You want me to consider is pure joy? Are you sure James didn't like misinterpret what you were really trying to say?" Anyone feel me? Anyway, I think I was missing the point a little before. I started to learn a little more about the word 'consider'. The Greek translation is "to evaluate" and its the same word used in Phil 3:8 when he considers everything a loss compared to surpassing greatness of knowing Christ as Lord. Through the English translation I think the word loses is potency. I mean for me, to consider something isn't the same as a sense of evaluation OR a settled conviction, or deliberate analysis. So, with this I started to think about why it was so important that perseverence finished its work. Why is the testing of my faith important. Then, this question came up ...
"Consider what it would have meant for me, for us, if Jesus hadn't allowed perseverance to finsih its work, and why did Jesus consider it pure joy to endure the cross?"
Wow. Then, this post came up. How perfect. So I have spent these lst days reflecting on the cross and what it would have meant for my life if Jesus hadn't completed His purpose as well as WHY He would have considered being painfully murdered joyful?
I am left with the image from the Passion when Jesus, bloody and beaten, already near death, CRAWLS back onto the cross ... to do non other than allow perseverance to finish its work. So, when I feel overwhelmed by stress and my sinful nature I now try to "CONSIDER HIM" instead of myself.
Thanks Syndey (and Paul too) for the beautiful reminder of what our Almighty Lord did for us. Sydney ... you are awesome!
Crystal, you have a gift for writing in your own voice. It's what makes your stuff so fun to read. It's really been cool kinda going through all this with you on the blog as you learn and grow. Thanks for always taking the time to write.
I sorda did it. It was like watching a football game in that there is a play that lasts all of a few seconds, then is followed with analysis coupled with projections. Another few seconds of Jesus...a longer time thinking of me...huddle up, call a play, back to Jesus. Sad part is I think I lost this one. I need more practice!
Thanks Palzo. I need lots of practice too ...
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