Keep it simple, Stupid!

Is this normal? Is life always supposed to be this busy, rushed, hectic, and sometimes filled with meaningless activities to fill the gaps? Not to mention, that there always has to be more or better of everything. Why is it so complicated and confusing? I sometimes find myself making lists of things to do, should I ever get “bored.” I was awakened to a peaceful solution to this madness in my devotion yesterday. This need to submit myself to society’s demand for me to want more and to want it faster is supposedly normal for my generation. The need to fill my life with worldly pleasures and luxuries is an expected necessity. I find it stressful and frustrating to fill this unnecessary calling to be something that I am not, to be someone I was not created to be. Our world has created unrealistic expectations and multiple purposes for us, while God has created us for one purpose and only expects us to follow and love him. I have tried to simplify my schedule to create “down time” or time to relax and give up possessions I don’t need that could be put to better use by others who need it more. I’ve tried to change my mind set and for whatever reason, I always fall back into my rut. In my devotion, I read that simplicity starts with the heart. I hadn’t tried focusing on that! Why wouldn’t I have thought to work on the one part of me that God should have total control of, not to mention that he should be in control of a lot more than I was willing to give him? All I was thinking about was ME. What I wanted, what I should do, how I was going to fix it, how I should blame myself, what I could do to make it better. That’s not what it was about at all! I should have been filling my heart with God. My ONE purpose in life is to live for my loving Creator and Father, not myself. I had my priorities all wrong! This realization pulled a huge load off of my heart, my head, and my shoulders. It takes a lot for us as individuals in today’s ridiculously fast-paced society to remain calm and to remind ourselves that we aren’t the ones in control. We should be confident that our God has EVERYTHING under control. If we live for Christ and leave the rest to him we would be so much less stressed and frustrated with ourselves, others, and situations we can’t control. I’ve been in prayer a lot lately, trying to find out what my purpose is in God’s great plan. I know it will take time and lots of listening to find my true purpose, but doing what God created me to do and doing it to the best of my ability has become my greatest goal. I’ve been making it all way too complicated. I should have been simply being myself. It’s almost as if the Holy Spirit had leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Keep it simple, Stupid!”

Not living it up or Living it down, living a PURPOSE…

God has been tugging on my heart lately, especially while I’ve been in his word or with others.  I’ve been experiencing this need, more a longing, to make a difference. I’ve been through some difficult times in the past year and half that have had me at war with myself and struggling inside to stay strong in my faith, and God has always given me the strength to press on. When it seemed like there was nothing left to fight for the Holy Spirit pulled at my heart, and made me realize that I couldn’t give up. My devotion today helped me recognize that this life isn’t worth living unless you come to understand that it has a PURPOSE.  Romans 12:2 says that we should not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but that we should be transformed by the renewing of our MINDS. Then we will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will. This life is not going to be easy and being humans, we can’t make it any better ourselves. The only thing we CAN do is look to God for guidance and strength, knowing that he has a plan for our lives. I fully believe that he has a plan and purpose for every one of us. If you’ve ever felt like that’s not true for you, I’ve been there. If you’ve ever felt like no one cared and there was nothing going for you, or even if you’re feeling like that now, I really encourage you to reconsider your thoughts. Christ has ALWAYS been there for me, but it was the fact that I was too stubborn to turn around and look him in the face. Sometimes that took admitting that I was wrong no matter how big of trouble I was in so that I could lay my problems at his feet and run into his arms to start over. God doesn’t care what you’ve done, who you are, who you hang out with, or where you’ve been. He has an amazing PURPOSE for you and he cares where you are now. He is willing to help you start over whenever you look to your side and realize that he is right there next to you. This life, MY life, is Christ’s and I’m not living it up or living it down for anyone or anything. I’m living a PURPOSE for one awesome, powerful, loving GOD…