It's Like a 2x4 Right Betweeen the Eyes

How is it already Friday? The week was crazy, AGAIN. It is way too early to be this busy. I mean, I am used to this kind of crazy in like, May, but March?

Also, March is still too close to the holiday season in which I ran around like mad as well.

Maybe this is just life, and I need to get a grip.

Thank goodness for Spring Break next week.

I will say, that it has been a great week of study in a Bible study I have been doing. I have learned, amongst the busyness, some important lessons.

I was hit hardest by these two things:

"What the Lord calls, He establishes. That is: He brings into existence and assures the ability for the outcome to fulfill His purposes and plans. When God establishes a person for a specific purpose, He secures, equips, and fortifies the person called so that he or she is fully capable of performing the task at hand. My personal tendency to feel ill-equipped and insufficient is in direct correlation to my lack of belief that I have been established and equipped by God to accomplish the task."

I cannot count how many times I have felt, or even said out loud, "I cannot handle this situation.", or "I won't be able to do this task because I am not a strong enough person emotionally." Sometimes that actually sounds like, "I don't think I can deal," or "This is just too much."

When I trust in my own capabilities to handle the tasks at hand, then I SHOULD be fearful and intimidated, but if I rest in God's work in me, then my outlook is changed. Believing God has called and established me is fundamental for me to live with a valid sense of worth and the ability to fulfill God's purpose in my life.

As if that wasn't enough, this lesson also struck me rather hard:

"The Father loves people not programs. Any program He initiates and or assignment he commissions you to do always has this as its main goal: turning people to a relationship with Himself. Mothering is not the ultimate goal of being a mom, revealing Christ to the children is. The position of leader in the career or ministry is not the goal, those in your sphere of influence seeing God's love reflected in you is."

"Now when He works through us, anointing us for divine purposes, His intention is not the task but that He might be more clearly seen."

I knew when I read this, it was BIG, and that I really needed to change my perspective. Most of the time though, when I think about this type of stuff, I think about what I think are bigger callings in life to serve Him, or I think, "Well this will better equip me when I am in a different season of life when I can devote more time to furthering the Kingdom. Then Priscilla said this:

"I've often noticed that I tend to lean toward the programming over the people involved. I can tell this because when I'm cooking dinner for my family or folding their laundry, I can easily become irritated when my children or husband interrupt me and need my attention....When I let the task override the relationship for which I was doing it."

OUCH

"Each person in your life has been strategically placed in your life so that your obedience to God's call can cause them to see Christ more fully and personally. This is your goal."

That means my goal isn't to finish the task. It's not about the program. It isn't about my schedule, and all the things on it. It's about helping the people placed in my life see and experience God more fully.

Even the little people in my life.

(And by little people, I mean short)

((And by short, I mean my kids))

I don't need to wait for a different season in life to get started. I can get started right now with the little people in my life...who don't allow me to finish a task.

Have I heard all of this before?

Yes.

But in this week of busyness, I needed another reminder that God has equipped me for this season in life. I can and am able to handle or "deal" with this time of life through Him. Also, as much as I seem to make it this way, it isn't about all the programs and activities I'm involved in, it's about the people and relationships that these programs and activities are for.

So what if I am a little late?