I found this week very difficult. These challenges force you to break apart your day and examine what you really spend your time on. My days are so busy, so full of activity and noise that I had a lot of trouble disconnecting or finding quiet. I learned just how important to me my routine really is--I have things that I believe I need to do, and deciding not to do them because I need to slow down and remember my Lord was a lot of effort. The challenges taught me that I am a very negative person. I'm sarcastic and judgmental, which I already knew, but I also have trouble "turning that off" and being loving.
Through this, however, I have learned that changing my routine and making time for disciplines causes me to think about my faith in a more intentional way. Above all, God demands wholehearted followers--going halfway just hurts me. If God is my all then why should I spend my time on anything less important?
Disconnecting with life allows me to remember who I am. I am a creature being made perfect in Christ. I'm imperfect but I strive for perfection following the only model available. Jesus did many things that the people at the time thought were ridiculous, but everything he did was intentional. In everything he was connected with his father.
That's what this is all about, after all. I am called into relationship with my heavenly father. There's nothing else for me. I have no fight of my own--it was won on the cross. I don't need to change who I am to draw near to God, He will do that for me as I grow closer to Him.
It's the gospel in a nutshell...
((this post took a long time to write, evidently))
One thing I noticed about myself while completing this challenge is that, while I have a pretty good knowledge of what is in the Bible, I'm lacking a lot of the concepts from the old testament. For most of my life I've read the same few books; mostly the gospels, 1 John and Genesis.
I was challenged to study more than that. In the past I've attempted to read through Proverbs and Job, which are both quite long and dry, but they're there for a reason. Proverbs is called the book of wisdom--it teaches young men how to live healthy lives, while Job chronicles the hardships that a faithful servant of God goes through. Both of these books have a great deal of significance, but the discipline necessary to read through them was lacking.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be fully equipped for every good work." Everything in this book is important. Even if it has little significance to me now, understanding God's word is crucial for sharing it. How better can I convince someone of my passion for the Gospel except through knowing and living it? How better can I come to know God, and have communion with him except through spending time in his word and letting his love envelop me?
