Listen:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27)
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)
Reflection:
The War on Taming our Time
My three rambunctious little boys are both a gift I’m humbled to steward and a handful I’m challenged to herd. Most mornings, I wake up tired and tempted to believe the lie that He is not enough.
There’s a war being waged to kill our vocational callings, steal the hearts of our children and destroy our marriages. The enemy would love to win the daily battle for our time.
God doesn’t advise us that He has come to give us abundant life when we are rested and prepared. He does not require anything of our circumstances in order to bestow His abundance.
If we want to access the rich life God has promised us, we need to stop wasting time and start living with fierce intentionality. We have to stop prescribing to the perversion of the good gifts God has given us. God’s instructed rest is not the same thing as spiritual laziness. In excess, God’s gift of delight is distorted into entitled self-indulgence. Shallow interaction is not an acceptable substitute for sacrificial relationship and God’s design for intimacy.
If we refuse to accept the distortion of God’s good gifts and are disciplined to enjoy His blessing in the way He has instructed, we will bear the fruit of an abundant life regardless of our circumstances. If we will offer up our time to God and let Him speak to us about how we manage and allocate it, I believe we will see the earth quake under the feet of women mobilized to bring Jesus like a fire.
Prayer of response:
“Jesus, teach us to tame our time. Remind our hearts of your complete sufficiency. Give us the strength we need to be disciplined in choosing to lean deeper into You instead of leaning into coping mechanisms that consume our time and perpetuate a cyclical breaking of our bodies and spirits. We joyfully proclaim your Lordship over our lives and over our time. Amen.”
—Submitted by Traci Bartak
(Traci and her outdoorsman husband are currently raising 3 wild boys in Washington state with lots of grit and even more grace. Traci writes on motherhood, following Jesus and everything in-between on her blog: www.neeci.wordpress.com )
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