Fall is literally just around the corner and and I for one cannot wait until she teases us with signs of cooler weather each morning. I am very much done with this over the top heat and humidity. Can I get an amen? AMEN! Football–not that I really pay that much attention to the game, leaves changing color, good hair weather, cute sweaters, etc. Additionally, you lovers of anything and everything pumpkin spice…your wait is over.
As we enter this time of year, I got to thinking of how effortlessly the weather and seasons change without hesitation. It knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Without fear, as the cooler weather begins, the leaves will slowly show off their vibrant colors of reds, oranges, and yellows and willingly fall to the earth’s surface. They know their role and the part they are to play in this world and do so effortlessly. I then thought, do I do this? Do I go about my life with such a known purpose and known role and execute those tasks and jobs with similar effortlessness? Or, am I simply going through the motions?
I would like to say with the utmost confidence that yes, I do know exactly what I am supposed to be doing with this time in my life. Why in fact I do know my purpose to a ‘T’, thank you for asking. However, that is a load of junk. At this point in my life I feel stagnant. I feel I am in a stalemate. A waiting game. It feels like I am being prepared for ‘something’, yet I’ve zero idea what that ‘something’ is and it is bothering the heck out of me. I like to know, for the most part, the plan. I am organized. I like being organized. I like to feel prepared for whatever is before me. Currently, I have this feeling I am being continuously told to wait. To be patient. Essentially, calm it on down. I don’t know about you, but I don’t do well with this type of direction. I like clear and specific instruction, for then I know the expectation and can plan out the best method to achieve the goal; as well as, have multiple back up plans. How am I supposed to get properly prepared, if you’re not telling me the plan of action? How can I get us organized if I am unsure of the destination? How will I know what shoes to pack if I don’t know the type of activities?! You get my point.
I know God’s plan will always supersede my own and it will always be better than anything I could have ever come up with on my own; but, this whole waiting situation…quite frankly, right now, I am finding it just annoyingly frustrating. I want to help move the process along and how can I do so efficiently if I don’t know the plan? Because we all know that God needs our help to properly execute His plans—she says with dripping sarcasm. I mean, in my efforts, I could be unknowingly causing His plan to go backwards–again, because God always needs our help to get the plan right…(insert face palm eye roll here).
Right, so what are we called to do in all situations???? Pray. So, I pray. I ask God to provide a clear and direct answer to the whole ‘what is the plan’ and ‘what am I to be doing’ questions. I pray that if I”m heading in the wrong direction for what He wants of me and for me that I”m redirected and yet…I feel He is quiet. But, is He really being quiet or am I simply not liking His current answer?
The other day my devotional read, “The world is so complex and overstimulating that you can easily lose your sense of direction. Doing countless unnecessary activities will dissipate your energy. When you spend time with Me (God), I restore your sense of direction. As you look to Me for guidance, I enable you to do less but accomplish more.” (Jesus Calling–Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young) I am guilty of doing a lot of “things” and yet feeling that I’ve accomplished bubkis, zilch, nada, zippo. This idea of doing less yet accomplishing more is a challenging concept to wrap my brain around. We live in a world where doing more is always better and doing less is well, simply not okay. A never ending ‘to do’ list is applauded and praised, yet if the answer to ‘what did you do today’ was simply ‘read a book’ that wouldn’t necessarily receive the same response. Does anyone else feel there is this connection between the level of exhaustion we feel and the level of success we achieve? Almost as if the more exhausted/tired/run down you feel, then surely the more success you must be having in your business, in your household, in your fitness, in your education, in your spiritual life, etc. But is this really the case? Why do we (self included) seem to thrive or think we are thriving only if we are burning the candles at both ends 24/7? Why does it feel so wrong to be still?
I am asking you just as much as I am asking myself. I don’t do well with being idle. I’m sure you’ve heard this saying or some version of this saying at some point in your life, “Idle hands are the Devi’s playground.” Well, if that is truly the case, I am going to be as busy as I possibly can to avoid all that Devil business. However, in being so busy, we may all miss an amazing opportunity God has in store for us because we were not in tune to His direction. In my haste to achieve the target, to reach the goal, to earn the prize, to get the gold star, maybe I’ve was blinded to the path God laid out for me. Have you ever experienced this in your life: one path seems to have every hiccup, road block, and pit fall imaginable and then other paths seem to be so effortless you may find yourself thinking it’s all too good to be true? Surely it cannot be this easy. Have you ever stopped to think maybe the effortless path was the way you were always intended to go, yet since it seemed too easy you second guessed it the entire time only to resort back to the path you laid out for yourself full of hiccups, road blocks and pit falls? I know I’ve done this many times. I’ve started out on a path thinking this is where I am meant to be and through different methods God was trying to show me “no, I have better for you”, yet I continued on the same path. Why do we, umm why do I do this?
Today’s devotional again reiterated the need to be still, “…so many, many things vie for your attention in this complex world of instant communication.” “…be still, and know that I am God.” The devotion went on to say how when we are focused too much on the trivial things of this world vs. being in a stillness with God our minds and consequently our emotions can become like a tire spinning wildly while stuck in the mud.
I’m not saying we aren’t to take any action and to sit like bumps on a log, but what I am saying is maybe we are to embrace the moments more graciously when it feels like God is simply telling us to be still and wait on His timing. There is something precious in the calm and quiet. It provides us an opportunity to hear God and what He wants from us and for us. So from me to you, I challenge us both to take solace in the stillness and to fully embrace God’s timing.
Until next time,
-E
Faith Family Fitness 