Distractions

  Recently it was recommended to me that I should try some deep breathing exercises.  Being that my life is very busy (hence the reason for needing the deep breathing), I decided to try it for one minute a day and to work my way up from there.  I am now up to two minutes a day... sometimes... when I remember.  But today, when I sat down to do my very Zen two minutes, something hit me, quite literally actually; it was the dog's tail, whapping me in the face.  My phone then started buzzing; I thought about five things I wanted to do before I headed out the door, and I immediately moved on to something else.  Life 500, Deep Breathing 0.
  The truth of the matter is, there are so many distractions in this life, things that pull us off course, and cause us to loose sight of where we should really be heading.  And mind you, they are usually very good distractions:  housework, charities, helping out a friend or neighbor, or any number of things, and none of these in and of themselves are inherently bad, in fact, that's why we are usually thrown off course.  After all, we shouldn't say "no" to doing something good, right?
  Here's the thing, though.  When Jesus was on earth, He knew his purpose was to live a sinless life and go to the cross for our sins.  He also knew that in order to do this, He needed to step away and spend focused time with God each day.  That's why, in the scripture, we see examples of Him slipping away through the crowd to go to the mountain or the garden to pray. (Matthew 14:23, Luke 6:12) There were plenty of people still needing healing, plenty of distractions and "good" things He could have done.  But He knew what was most important, and He took time to refocus Himself often.
  If you have been feeling a bit crazy lately, maybe overworked, overstressed, and overbooked, it's probably a good sign that you've gotten distracted.  It may be time to get alone, get quiet, and refocus on what you should be doing.  You can skip the deep breathing part... or maybe give it a shot, who knows, it just might help you.  Just don't get caught up trying to do all the good things.  There is always one more "good" thing which needs done.  But we need to choose what is most important.(Luke 10:41-42)  Take some time to reprioritize today.  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W.

You're in Charge

  I read something cool this morning, and it got me thinking.  I was reading Psalm 8 and I came across this verse.  "You made him [man] ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet"  (Psalm 8:6)  Another place in the Bible says it this way, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3a).  The thing that I find exciting here is that we have the power.  We have the opportunity to control our own lives and to steer ourselves in any direction we choose (paraphrased loosely from Dr. Suess, Oh The Places You'll Go).
  I once heard Joyce Meyer say, "Stop asking God to do things for you that He's already given you the power to do for yourself."  (That may not be 100% quoted because I can't remember which audio I heard it on.)  But the point is, that phrase has stuck with me for a long time, because really, that's just it.  We want to blame someone else, take the responsibility away from ourselves.  After all, if it's not our fault, then we don't feel bad about failing.  We keep asking God, our bosses, our spouses, whoever to make us healthier, wiser, wealthier, and more popular.  The truth is though, it is entirely in our control.  We have the choice every day, the choice to eat healthfully, or not, to exercise, or not, to make that phone call, mend that relationship, etc, etc...  The question is though, are you taking advantage of that opportunity, or are you giving up your power?
  Every result we get in our lives is a consequence of something we did, or failed to do. (For more on this, check out The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.) Are you utilizing your power today? Or are you throwing it away, wishing for a change instead. You already have what you need. You simply have to decide to use it. Take that step; eat that vegetable; save that $5. I can’t wait to see you succeed!
~K.W.