Luke 10:41-42 “But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’”
How easy it is to get swept up into the hustle and bustle of life and with good intentions, push aside “the good part” Jesus so longs to impart to us!
He knows that unless He calls, we may not come in light of our labors and many burdens.
Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
So, He invites us to come “to” Him. Much like a mother might beckon her tired, teary-eyed toddler into her lap, Jesus calls us close and offers us His nearness. And just like the mother’s loving hold assures her little one, His rest settles our soul.
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
And is that precious place of His embrace, we know no fear or want.
All we need do is come…
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Simplicity…
I sense a call to simplicity and discipline.
Both are seemingly elusive aspects of a godly life, from my perspective!
Too much “stuff” creates distraction. Too little planning leads to laziness. The more things I need to keep in order, the greater the potential for confusion. When I fail to intentionally do what I know I need to, I ultimately fail to accomplish my desired goals.
So…why do I seem to struggle, especially in these two areas of my life?
Simplicity first.
If I consider a dialog between two people, it’s fairly simple. But if more join in, each person increases the complexity of the conversation. Hence, the more people I am relating with, the more complex my world is. But people are not dispensable or unnecessary, so my search for simplicity must begin with my surroundings.
If I picture an empty room, I imagine it to be quiet. No pictures on the wall, inviting me into another place or time. No furniture establishing the atmosphere with color, line and texture or nicknacks whispering about past experiences or books laying around asking to be picked up and read. And certainly no clutter demanding to be cleaned up.
Hmmmm…never considered how noisy a room could become. Perhaps as I begin my pursuit of simplicity, I can begin by listening with my eyes as I work through my home, and determine what “sounds” are more like clattering clutter than an invitation into rest.
That’s what my heart longs for. Rest…
I desire to be surrounded by beauty, so my goal is not to strip my rooms of all visual sound. Rather, I would like to cleanse each one of unnecessary “noise.”
Deep breath. I can do that.
With Your help, Lord, I can begin to listen with my eyes and bring restful order to my home. I ask for clarity of vision and sensitivity of sight. I want my home to be a sanctuary.
Both are seemingly elusive aspects of a godly life, from my perspective!
Too much “stuff” creates distraction. Too little planning leads to laziness. The more things I need to keep in order, the greater the potential for confusion. When I fail to intentionally do what I know I need to, I ultimately fail to accomplish my desired goals.
So…why do I seem to struggle, especially in these two areas of my life?
Simplicity first.
If I consider a dialog between two people, it’s fairly simple. But if more join in, each person increases the complexity of the conversation. Hence, the more people I am relating with, the more complex my world is. But people are not dispensable or unnecessary, so my search for simplicity must begin with my surroundings.
If I picture an empty room, I imagine it to be quiet. No pictures on the wall, inviting me into another place or time. No furniture establishing the atmosphere with color, line and texture or nicknacks whispering about past experiences or books laying around asking to be picked up and read. And certainly no clutter demanding to be cleaned up.
Hmmmm…never considered how noisy a room could become. Perhaps as I begin my pursuit of simplicity, I can begin by listening with my eyes as I work through my home, and determine what “sounds” are more like clattering clutter than an invitation into rest.
That’s what my heart longs for. Rest…
I desire to be surrounded by beauty, so my goal is not to strip my rooms of all visual sound. Rather, I would like to cleanse each one of unnecessary “noise.”
Deep breath. I can do that.
With Your help, Lord, I can begin to listen with my eyes and bring restful order to my home. I ask for clarity of vision and sensitivity of sight. I want my home to be a sanctuary.
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