The last three months or so have been a blur for me! Not in a bad way either. It's probably been one of the most enjoyable times in my life. I have been the Small Groups Coordinator at Grace Pointe Church for almost a year now, and about four months ago, I also took over responsibility for our Growth Track series. You can read more about that in a future post.
Although the last four to six weeks have been the most fulfilling time in my life, I've also noticed God speaking to me about balance. You see, I'm a Lion, or some of you may know me as a D through the D.I.S.C. assessment. And although my primary personality flip-flops between Lion and Otter (aka, I in D.I.S.C), I can very quickly become task-oriented, and let my "big dreams" get me to a point of being overwhelmed, because I don't feel like I can sort it all out and get it all done in my timing. I know...right about now you're saying, that's where God comes in, silly boy! I agree...remember a few sentences back I said I noted God speaking to me about balance? Well, He's been speaking to me about a lot more than just balance, of course, however part of balance for me needs to be learning to quiet my mind and my ambitions and my dreams in order just to
be.
I need to make sure I'm being and becoming more Christ-like, and not let my "big dreams" become my idol. I've been there, done that, and my excuse usually was that "I'm doing this for God, of course, I'm close to Him...of course, my relationship is where it needs to be, how could it not be if I'm willing to do all of this for Him." You get my drift. I know some of you have been in that same place. We seem to get there unknowingly sometimes, and with very good intentions, but that is not where God wants me, or you, or any of us. He just wants us to seek Him, period! Wholeheartedly, sincerely, seek Him!
Before you get all self-righteous on me, I know there is more to our walk than just seeking Him, but I'm believing more and more that ultimately, my part in the bigger story of God can only be
exactly what He wants it to be, if I'm close to Him. I can do great things in His name, and still not know Him, or be known my Him (Mt 7:21-23).
So, let me get back on track, this is about Stillness...Clarity...Tuning In...Quieting the Voices...Calming the Storm...ok, you get it! So, with all the great things that are happening in my life, as fulfilled as I am, becoming closer to Christ than I think I ever have been, I also know that I'm prone to get off track with my "doing". The last few days specifically, I felt like God's been wanting me to learn to be still, both physically and mentally. I've been thinking about ways to learn how to be still, and what the best approach might be for me, when this morning, God supplied a way! When I awoke to my inbox this morning, I had an e-mail from twitter highlighting some of the trending posts from people I follow. One of the people I follow, and have notifications turned on for (meaning, I want to see every update he gives), is Michael Hyatt. This was his post from Twitter:
As soon as I read the post, I knew I had found the way to start pursuing stillness. I knew this was a God-moment. I read his
blog post (which happened to be over a year old, although newly posted on Twitter, thankfully). I immediately put into practice what he suggested. I set my phone alarm for 15 minutes, opened the blinds wide so that I could watch the sun rise through the trees across the street, and observed...
for about 20 seconds! Then one of my dogs wanted in my lap so I had to reposition. He then didn't want to jump into my lap, so I spent another 20 seconds trying to convince him to jump, then I spent another 20 seconds adjusting everything, including my second dog, that was already laying at my feet. I then picked up my coffee cup, and proceeded to stare out the window at the sunshine coming through the trees, the squirrels running over the branches, the leaves falling softly to the ground. I quieted my thoughts, stilled my body! Hang on, I wasn't comfy, why was my back hurting, I put a pillow behind me, got comfy again, settled in, quieted my thoughts, stilled my body...resumed practice of stillness.
Ok, enough play-by-play. You get the picture of how difficult it was for me to do this. It seemed like every minute or two, I would have a new thought, and start down that path for what seemed like 20 to 30 seconds before I realized I was doing it. Once I realized it I refocused and resumed my stillness. Although it was a battle, I can honestly tell you that it was getting a little easier by the time the alarm chirped that my time was over. Even this morning, the little quietness and stillness that I did have recharged me and helped me refocus. It's going to be a hard practice to institute, but I see the value in it. There are going to be distractions and interruptions, but I know God is also going to bless that time! What's got you so busy that you can't quiet your mind? What are you doing to change that? What's something that brings you peace, in the midst of a chaotic schedule?
