Working it Out

Between church, family work and personal time we sometimes get lost in the “daily grind”. Many times past I have found myself forgetting the peace that comes from being obedient to God’s leading, both in His Word and in the “small still voice” that if I truly take the time to listen, I will hear.

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me into a level country and into the land of uprightness.
Psalm 143:10 AMP

For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).
1 John 5:3 AMP

Daily distractions come from all sides – work, family (both immediate and relatives), friends and from those we don’t even know. Distractions that take our focus off of God and lead us into stress, worry, doubt, fear and well – trouble. These can be simple things like one of my children needs to be at an activity at the same time I need to be at a meeting and I choose to be stressed about it rather than asking God what is the best way to solve this situation. It can be the news of another terrorist act in the same area where one of my family members is serving in the military. It can also be from my own choices of what I am watching on TV, reading in a book or places that I go. Everything I choose to do affects my level of peace and obedience.

In order for me to “work it out” in my life I need to constantly be focused on God and not myself. In the past one of the hardest things for me to do was to put aside quality time to spend with the Lord. I found myself going to work, coming home and doing necessary things like helping with the children’s homework, housework, taking care of our finances, working on various projects, watching a little TV or a movie and then going to bed – exhausted. The next day I would do the same thing; all this time forsaking the quality time necessary to spend with the Lord and my family. Talk about a grind! I was grinding myself into a mess and a pattern of self destruction. And where was the time with the Lord? Where was I getting filled (or refilled) with the Word instead of the world? Where was I placing my priorities?

Thankfully I took the time seek God one day when I was out of town for a meeting. I purposed myself to walk with God and hear his voice. As I did He began to reveal to me the physical and spiritual condition of the people around me. They looked stressed, tired and distracted. There was no peace, no joy and certainly there was trouble. I soon realized that if I continued in the direction that I was going I too would become what I saw ? and I did not like it. I repented right then and there and made it right with God and myself. I promised to take the time each day to read the Word as lead and listen to God.

It was amazing to see the immediate results of this decision. I saw clearly for the first time in a long time the purpose the plan and that God has for my life. All of a sudden work became easier and more focused. Suddenly I had more quality time to spend with my family. Decisions became more assured rather than “guessing” or “feeling” that the choice I was making was good (“I think” or “I feel” should never be the first words for an answer to a decision being made in our lives – it should be, “I heard from God and He said…”). Immediately my stress level dropped and my peace level increased. Were there more hours in the day or days in the week; did time slow down? No, I changed. I changed from being world focused and became Word focused.

What changed? I listened to God. Simple isn’t it? I may sometimes say, “But I can’t see how” or “I have so much to do, how can I” or even “God are you sure that?”. When I do the Lord gently reminds me that He is bigger than all these things and that as long as I stay focused on Him all will work itself out and He will even help me to do it.

This is how I am “working it out”.