Devotionals
I may not do any more of these. I only write them as things happen and God gives me things to write about. I guess I'll just put them here as the get to me.
Thank You
Today you took a seemingly insignificant moment in my life and turned it into a lesson on faith that I won't soon forget. I find myself these days pondering how strong my faith actually is. You see sometimes it is hard to understand how faith works. I seem impatient. Is that a lack of faith? I can't seem to figure it out. Last night however I got a lesson on how well things work out when you let things go. Money has, in the past, been an issue for me. I should say the lack of money. I went and used my ATM card to get cash at Wal-Mart and asked for money back. I forgot to get the cash and promptly forgot that I had even asked for cash back. My card was charged but I didn't have the cash. I didn't realize this until days later and by then the receipt was surely long gone. I did a search for the receipt, even dug through the trash for it, but no receipt was to be found. At first I was pretty upset. I couldn't afford to loose any money and this amount was pretty much groceries for next week. After berating myself for being so forgetful, I calmed down and decided to mark it off as a lesson learned. I started working out and soon forgot all about the lost money and the problem it was causing. After I was done I showered and sat down on my bed to plan out my day for tomorrow. I looked down on the floor to grab something I needed for the next day and right underneath it was my receipt. I was able to call back the store and go and pick up the money. I guess life is pretty much like that. You can stress and worry over every little thing, big and small. You can let worry rule your life (and it will if you let it). In the end, however, things always seem to work out for the best if you just resign your post as head of your life, and accept what God has planned. His plan may not be as fast as your plan but His are always better.
Focus
So I need to focus more on you and let all these little distractions go. I think I am getting the picture. In my life I have noticed one thing that remains constant. The busier I get, the more I tend to put off some of my best habits. It is so much easier to go to sleep with the TV or radio on than it is to read my bible and write in my journal. It's so much easier to eat fast food than to fix a healthy dinner. It's so much easier to sit and watch TV than to work out. Ouch! Those hurt a little when I read them back. I guess we're all guilty of the sins of procrastination. The odd thing is that the more you put off the more you put on. If it's fast food your eating instead of healthy food or not exercising you'll put on the pounds. If it's bible study you're missing you'll loose your focus and put on the stress. I keep finding this out the hard way. It seems that I forget this lesson very easily. When I take the time to put on my stress armor, reading and writing in my journal, I am much more prepared to face the day. I know where I am going. I know what I need to do to get me there. I seem less easily frustrated and more apt to prayer. God, help me to remember what happens when I forget my focus and lean toward laziness.