Welcome, welcome
It is 2018 and we are already 11 days in.
It is hard to imagine some days
how fast time moves
slipping through our fingers
like the varied sands of
beautiful beaches.
How has the first 11 days of 2018
been for you?
It has been an interesting time here
Recovering from the Christmas Flu
Some time off work
Doing some intentional “year” planning
The cleaning and sorting
And start anew stuff that comes with
the New Year
And looking ahead to
the many things up ahead
while being mindful to enjoy the moment.
In my experience
the New Year is an exciting time.
A time to wipe the slate clean
And start over with new coloured pencils
sharpened to perfection
and a new desire and committment
to follow through on those things
that only got partially done
or not at all done,
last year
or even the year before that.
By the time the New Year rolls around
The daily walk of the year past
may have gotten a bit rough.
Especially if you have been struggling
with things not completed and
things not realized.
Some of those things may be because of us
some because of others and their influence
some because God has not yet released them.
Regardless,
by the end of December we may have found ourselves
being hard on ourselves
as we looked back at the shine of those
newly sharpened pencil crayons
from the New Year before.
The hopes
dreams
and desires.
The commitments we made
large and small to
do to that thing.
So the first thing I will share with you
is the thing that God shared with me
early in this New Year –
a reminder that I needed to hear:
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit Romans 8:1
So it really is a clean slate.
But as I was reminded, not just at the beginning of the New Year.
Rather every moment of every day
has the potential
to be a clean slate.
Further on in Romans
The Father led me to another reminder:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:1-2
Intentionality!
Two things here:
1) It is my reasonable service to present myself a living sacrifice to the Lord
In my experience, in order to do that I need to make a conscious decision and be intentional about that – daily
2) I must be intentional about what I allow to go on in my mind
Not only am I not to be conformed to what is going on around me in the world, I am to be to be active in transforming my mind
Throughout the last 11 days,
as God gave me these scriptures
and as I noticed I was already struggling
to do those things I desired
(yes in only 11 days)
I began to hear
frequently throughout the day:
“Do the Hard Thing”.
The first few times
it gave me courage
and a little push
to stop putting aside that one thing
I was struggling with
and get it done.
That was awesome!
That all in itself is
a wonderful gift.
Do the hard thing – that thing
that you are worrying on,
avoiding and dreading,
get that one thing out of the way
and, trust me, the rest will feel
less burdensome
and go more smoothly.
However,
I believe there is even more to it.
I believe that God also was speaking to me
about
condemnation and
intentionality.
I don’t know about you,
but for me,
they tend to be two hard things
that impact all the other things.
As noted above, Romans 8:1 talks about
the fact that there is no longer
any condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus, who are
walking according to the Spirit.
I love that verse!
I read it often and rejoice.
And then walk away and promptly
judge myself harshly
about that one thing.
And Romans 12:1-2 calls us to be intentional.
Intentional in presenting ourselves a living sacrifice
and intentional in controlling our minds.
I also spend a lot of time on those verses,
and yet again, walk away and fail to prioritize and plan my time,
allowing the day to have me,
rather than making the day mine.
And how often to I have that thought,
and let it linger, knowing it doesn’t belong there.
For me, today,
this year,
I think that the Father, in saying,
“do the hard thing” is not just talking about
“girding up your loins” and getting that thing done…….
He is also saying to me:
when that thing doesn’t get done,
“do the hard thing” and
don’t move to self condemnation –
there is no room in your life for that.
See the next moment as that clean slate and try again!
And in that moment that the thought comes – that negative thought,
that self condemning thought, that thought that isn’t walking in love –
“do the hard thing”
don’t let that thought linger,
chose to disable that thought and all its power
in that very moment
and transform your mind!
What is that hard thing that the Father is calling you to do this year?
Take some time and go to Him in prayer.
He is a loving and faithful Father
and more than anything He wants you to succeed in this life –
not just the next one.
That abundant life is for now!
Write it on your wall
Write it on cue cards to carry with you
Write it on your heart
Write it in your spirit
Whatever you need to do to make this year one
you won’t have to look back at in 12 months at and
wonder where the shine of those newly sharpened pencils went.
“Do the Hard Thing”!
