I prayed.
I am beginning to notice in my adult years, that either my sanguine personality lends itself to being unfocused, or I have a slight case of ADD. Or both. I am an enthusiastic person and when I see God at work, I want to jump in... even if I am already fully immersed in His work in other areas. Yes, I can be easily distracted. Yes, I can lose focus. But I like to say I am passionately unfocused.
So, what do I do with this new opportunity? My heart screams, "Yes!" My head fumbles for the word, "No." And my weary body has learned to just wait for the heart and the head to make their decision.
But God has been doing a work IN me... not just around me in the last few months. These last five months of my parents' going through cancer treatments, homeschooling my daughter, and my ministry blooming have taught me to make careful considerations of how to spend my time. Not all ministry opportunities are meant for me. Did I just say that?
I made a list.
I made a list of all of my "non-negotiable" roles in my life. Christ-follower. Wife. Mom. Daughter. Sister. Minister. And so on. I am fortunate and blessed to have several of these. These roles are God-given and cannot be left unattended.
I then made another list. What are the activities that I have going on in my life right now? These may stem from a non-negotiable role or not. But the activities themselves... they are NEGOTIABLE.
Then the final list. What are some new ways I see God is at work that interest me? This is where my super, God-filled opportunity was written down. Along with some other possibilities for involvement.
I gasped.
I had no idea I was involved in so many current activities. I had to list everything... chauffeur to my sweet children, any team, committee, board, anything! Just writing and reading the list left my overwhelmed.
I prayed again.
Lord, help me to see the things you really want for me RIGHT NOW. Help me to ask the hard question of "Why am I doing this?" And enable me to answer honestly, even if it is, "Because I want to look like a good parent, wife, minister, etc."
Lord, free me from filling my plate out of any reason other than obedience to you.
I was able to discern the activities that I needed to discontinue. I was able to see the possibilities of allowing others to help instead of doing things on my own. I confronted my pride and kicked it to the curb.
I gained focus.
Through relieving myself of some unnecessary activities, I could now turn to my list of potentials. The one that fell in my lap.
I just knew that God had enabled me to clear my plate some to make room for this great opportunity.
Not so.
A God-filled possibility that I did not seek after falls in my lap and yet it is not meant for me to take? That's right. God meant for me to consider it, so that I would do some necessary heart evaluation. And instead of a filled plate,
I have peace.
I want to encourage you to take a hard look at your "life plate." Perhaps God is asking you to do some heart evaluation. Are you stressed? Overwhelmed? What are you doing out of any reason other than obedience to God? I would love to help you by praying for you or coaching you through this!
P.S. If you have not joined my ministry page on Facebook, this is your special invitation! Encouragement guaranteed.
Living for ONE,
Kelli
8 comments:
Oh Kelli... I am so excited for you and your efforts to let God help you clean your plate. I can't wait for a face-to-face update to see what kind of Jesus "meal" He has you eating.
I bet the stuff left on your plate is better than chocolate.
Thanks for encouraging us all and making me think!
Kelli, this is so true and the church in general could use reading this and taking it to heart. There are so many opportunities to support and enrich others, but if they aren't the thing we are suppose to be doing, it isn't the right thing. Being a good thing is not reason enough to do something. It needs to fit within your goals and you have to be able to invest yourself in it. We've all seen the jack of all trades master of none ministry. it isn't very pretty and leads to frustration and eventually break down. Thanks for posting a great reminder.
Thank YOU for sharing Kelli! This whole listening for the voice of God thing, to follow His leadings, and not our own... is a HUGE issue plaguing our church right now! God is dealing with me daily on this issue. I'm so THANKFUL for His still, small voice. He's always here, and always ready. ~ Blessings out to you sister, Amy
thank you Amy, Savannah, and Sharita. this post has been heavy on me and hoped that it would help someone else!
I love this post. I know I need to do this in my own life. I've had urges trying to remind me to slow down...stop information overload, focus...but I too have gotten the ADD as I've gotten older. =) I've also been going through some really rough personal stuff and haven't exactly gotten my head wrapped around it, not to mention my heart, and my God. Its been a very gradual process of even reaching out and talking to anyone about this (other than my counselor). Thank you for helping me see that lots of us struggle. Will be praying for you as you clear your life plate...I need to overhaul mine as well.
LOOOOOVE this post, Kelli! I've been through that conundrum so many times too. Love how you approached it so straighforwardly. Sharing this forward on my Take Flight coaching group. We're talking all about figuring out what God's calling us to do and who we ARE in Him. Can't wait to see you at She Speaks!!
Good stuff, Kelli. How difficult it is for us Sanguines to NOT jump in w/ both feet. Bravo for seeing God's real purpose in sending the opportunity your way. Sometimes we're so quick to see the surface stuff that we forget to dig a little deeper. Thanks for the very important reminder.
I loved this! Absolutely loved! I need to do it... but it seems scary. I liked the part where you had to decide if it was obedience to God or wanting to feel like a good parent. I have 3 kids, I TOTALLY understand! I have several things I need to do this with.
Thanks :)
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