Rise or Roll Over.....
“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exodus 9:16)
Early morning riser-I am not. If you know me well, then you are very much aware that mornings are not my favorite. First place my feet land when I get up is in my fuzzy slippers, and I head directly for the coffee. I remember growing up, I loved sleeping in and as a teenager I know it drove my Dad nuts to walk by my room and it could have been 10:30-11:00am and I was still in bed. He is an early bird, up early every single day without fail because in his opinion the day is half over if you are still in bed after 9:00am-ha! I haven’t slept that late in years, not since late in college and into my marriage. But there is a correlation in my life between this preference to sleep in and cover my head with the covers, and my approach to the world around me.
“Yet you, LORD, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)
I recently deactivated my social media account because of a number of reasons but the primary being to re-set my focus and my balance in my life. It has been a challenging year for a number of reasons, and I was reaching a tipping point and my stress level was at an all-time high. Reality today is not what it was for most of us 15 years ago. We had a whole lot less being shoved in our faces at all times, blasted across every source of news coverage, and thanks to the constant evolve of technology today we can have a cellular device in our hands at all times and even accessible to us hands free at every given moment. I think the direction of our day to day purpose has become far too dependent upon what we share or what we witness others sharing. What do you choose to do with the first moments of your day when you wake? What is the first thing you reach for-your phone, or your Bible? I am finding in my time disconnected from social media, that I have less stress and higher motivation to better balance my time. I am impressed by people who are able to multitask and spin a half a dozen more plates than I can; but I know my limits and I want to make the best of what I am capable of. I know that ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13), but I also know His intent for me is completely different from what it is for the next person. He does not expect me to run at the same pace or better than anyone else. He has created, gifted, purposed me for what is uniquely me. I decided years ago I was done and not going to live trapped in this mentality of comparison. It is a vicious and defeating cycle that a lot of people have allowed to rule their lives and dictate their every move. I don’t like the feeling at times when someone doesn’t agree with how I handle something, as if I should apologize for doing it differently. There’s that pressure again, to conform, to handle it a certain way because that is what society or my community or my family or my church or my ‘whatever’ expects of me. I battle with that just the same as anyone else, but you may find if you are in that moment with me that I choose to be silent, or simply state this is where we agree to disagree. I know when it’s time to walk away, even though I would rather engage and argue, and it may mean someone has to physically pull me away from that situation so I don’t put my foot in my mouth. Yep, I’ve unfortunately done that a few times in my life. Then there’s moments in which I’d much rather retreat, crawl back under the covers and just not deal with it at all because I’m worn down, exhausted, exasperated. I don’t want to miss out on what God may intend for me in a particular moment, but sometimes I just don’t want to have to deal with it at all.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28)
So, the opportunity is going to come at any given moment for me to make the choice to act upon the good purpose God intends for my life, or not. I could choose to let my past experiences-my own personal preferences, my personality flaws, my life choices, all the things that have happened to me-dictate how I walk out my day OR I can call upon the name of Jesus, draw from the strength of the Holy Spirit, breathe in the fulfillment of His Word and step out with abundant joy! I have one amazing and powerful Reason to live nothing short of a flourishing life!
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13)
To live as Christ means choosing to step outside our comfort zone at any given moment. It means I’m going to have to rise rather than roll over and pull the covers back over my head. It means embracing my purpose in Christ, my full capability for today.
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace” (2 Timothy 1:9)
Early morning riser-I am not. If you know me well, then you are very much aware that mornings are not my favorite. First place my feet land when I get up is in my fuzzy slippers, and I head directly for the coffee. I remember growing up, I loved sleeping in and as a teenager I know it drove my Dad nuts to walk by my room and it could have been 10:30-11:00am and I was still in bed. He is an early bird, up early every single day without fail because in his opinion the day is half over if you are still in bed after 9:00am-ha! I haven’t slept that late in years, not since late in college and into my marriage. But there is a correlation in my life between this preference to sleep in and cover my head with the covers, and my approach to the world around me.
“Yet you, LORD, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)
I recently deactivated my social media account because of a number of reasons but the primary being to re-set my focus and my balance in my life. It has been a challenging year for a number of reasons, and I was reaching a tipping point and my stress level was at an all-time high. Reality today is not what it was for most of us 15 years ago. We had a whole lot less being shoved in our faces at all times, blasted across every source of news coverage, and thanks to the constant evolve of technology today we can have a cellular device in our hands at all times and even accessible to us hands free at every given moment. I think the direction of our day to day purpose has become far too dependent upon what we share or what we witness others sharing. What do you choose to do with the first moments of your day when you wake? What is the first thing you reach for-your phone, or your Bible? I am finding in my time disconnected from social media, that I have less stress and higher motivation to better balance my time. I am impressed by people who are able to multitask and spin a half a dozen more plates than I can; but I know my limits and I want to make the best of what I am capable of. I know that ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13), but I also know His intent for me is completely different from what it is for the next person. He does not expect me to run at the same pace or better than anyone else. He has created, gifted, purposed me for what is uniquely me. I decided years ago I was done and not going to live trapped in this mentality of comparison. It is a vicious and defeating cycle that a lot of people have allowed to rule their lives and dictate their every move. I don’t like the feeling at times when someone doesn’t agree with how I handle something, as if I should apologize for doing it differently. There’s that pressure again, to conform, to handle it a certain way because that is what society or my community or my family or my church or my ‘whatever’ expects of me. I battle with that just the same as anyone else, but you may find if you are in that moment with me that I choose to be silent, or simply state this is where we agree to disagree. I know when it’s time to walk away, even though I would rather engage and argue, and it may mean someone has to physically pull me away from that situation so I don’t put my foot in my mouth. Yep, I’ve unfortunately done that a few times in my life. Then there’s moments in which I’d much rather retreat, crawl back under the covers and just not deal with it at all because I’m worn down, exhausted, exasperated. I don’t want to miss out on what God may intend for me in a particular moment, but sometimes I just don’t want to have to deal with it at all.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28)
So, the opportunity is going to come at any given moment for me to make the choice to act upon the good purpose God intends for my life, or not. I could choose to let my past experiences-my own personal preferences, my personality flaws, my life choices, all the things that have happened to me-dictate how I walk out my day OR I can call upon the name of Jesus, draw from the strength of the Holy Spirit, breathe in the fulfillment of His Word and step out with abundant joy! I have one amazing and powerful Reason to live nothing short of a flourishing life!
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13)
To live as Christ means choosing to step outside our comfort zone at any given moment. It means I’m going to have to rise rather than roll over and pull the covers back over my head. It means embracing my purpose in Christ, my full capability for today.
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace” (2 Timothy 1:9)
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