“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” ~ Hebrews 12:1-3
I realized the answer to all my problems as of late (and probably always, let’s be real) is fixing my eyes on Jesus. Like I talked about last week, fixing my eyes on Jesus helps me walk closely with him so that I know the race marked out for me. I don’t need to feel guilty or be making a list of good deeds to be right with God. I just need to fix my eyes on Jesus and be doing life with him so I can hear his call- I can hear the unique ways he wants me to glorify him in the life he gave me.
To build on this, I started reading a book by Lysa Terkeurst called The Best Yes. It’s all about saying no to things so that you can say yes to the best things. I knew this book was written for me when I read this line:
“We must not confuse the command to love with the disease to please.”
YES, YES, YES, YES. My disease to please was causing a lot of my confusion in the previous days with God’s command to live a life of purpose and love.
In reading this book, I felt God pulling on my heart to focus on the things that make my heart come alive and bring him glory. What are those things? Am I making time for them in my schedule? Here are the things that stuck out.
1. Time with Jesus. I’ve been having my quiet time in the mornings, but when I’m running late it’s the first thing cut. If I’m to be walking closely with God in order to hear his call I need to have scheduled time in the word and in prayer. AND, if he’s my favorite, shouldn’t my schedule show it?
2. Writing. I love writing and love to write to bring glory to God and encourage others. It’s something I’ve always felt called to but I often don’t make time for it. I decided to schedule 2 hours a week and one 1/2 day a month to writing.
3. Taking Care of Myself. This included working out consistently, getting to work early enough so I can take breaks throughout the day, leaving time to cook healthy meals, and setting a time each night when I start to unwind and get ready for bed so that I can get a full night’s rest.
Time with people is another important thing to me, but I’m pretty good at making time for that – these 3 things are the things that often fall off the calendar.
A few weeks ago when I was wrestling with the question of “Am I doing enough?” I was thinking of tasks rather than attitude. If I prioritize the three things above, I’ll be better able to love people well because I’ll be connected to God, doing what I love and feel called to and healthy. By scheduling these things, I know how much time I have left over for other things and can say yes to what I have room for and what aligns with my race, and say no, without guilt, to the things that don’t fit or don’t align.
There’s SO MUCH freedom in that!
What is the race marked out for you? What’s your best yes?
GLIMPSES OF JOY 