Part I
What would you say if I told you that your life is going to look exactly the way it does right this very moment 10 years from now? Would you be happy with that reality?
As I sat in church one Sunday morning, I found myself on the receiving end of that question. If I’m honest, the question itself stung, but truthfully, is was my answer that pierced my heart! This one simple question brought with it a tidal wave of emotion and flooded my mind with so many areas of my life where I felt restless, unsettled and frustratingly stuck!
Just the thought of things remaining the same for one more year (cannot even imagine 10!) left my stomach in knots, an intense ache in my heart and an overwhelming longing in my soul. I was no stranger to these feelings but as a wife, mom and caregiver, I became a pro at packaging them up nicely, tying a bow around them and putting them away (far, far away) for a rainy day!
However, they resurfaced when I let my guard down and I gave my soul some room to breathe, stretch out and soak in the goodness during worship that Sunday. Our Pastor’s words were not new, nor did it take a rocket scientist or a trip to the moon to be able to relate to the message and feel the urgency of the call to ACTION.
Stuck in the Mud and Muck of Life
Truth be told, I was stuck…in more than one way. Not only did the thought of remaining this way for an extended period scare me but it also overwhelmed me.
Can you relate?
Over the last five years, our family had experienced a great deal of change and transition. We moved 900 miles from N.Y. to South Carolina, with two children under the age of 5, 6 months later my mom was diagnosed with a deadly form of brain cancer called Glioblastoma and the job we originally moved for, decided to lay off my husband and in the same month, we decided to embark on a completely new business adventure…all in the span of just a few short years.
Life happened.
Who is in Control?
If you have air in your lungs, you know there are many circumstances in life that are not within our control. Things happen in our lives and to the people we love that we could never have dreamt would become realities. This idea of “control” is where the struggle begins.
Let’s get clear on something first…
Our responsibility is NOT to try to control and manipulate every situation or circumstance in our life. We serve a sovereign God. We need to leave God to do God things. He never intended for us to be at the helm of this ride we call life. We need to take our proper place in the back seat of the tandem bicycle ride!
However, we do in fact have control and a responsibility to the Lord, to our families, and to ourselves, on how we choose to respond to life, especially during those times when life decides to misbehave and throw us a curve ball to the gut.
So, what do we do about it?
How do we gain traction and start making forward progress when we feel stuck and overwhelmed by the mud and muck of life?
Before we start attacking the areas of our life where we feel stuck and paralyzed, we must take a little time to sit with our souls and go deeper than we ever have before and consider some things that affect the condition of our hearts.
True transformation begins from the inside, out!
Ask Yourself These Questions
What or Whom am I using as my Life Compass?
Am I orienting my life around Christ and using Him as my “true North” or am I allowing myself to be led astray by the ways of the world?
What lens am I using to view my circumstances?
Do I have an eternal/lasting perspective or am I living for the here & now, desiring instant gratification?
Who is in the driver’s seat?
Do I have a white knuckled grip of control on the steering wheel of my own life or am I allowing the Lord to be at the helm of my life?
Am I taking responsibility for my reactions to my circumstances?
Or, do I continue to make excuses?
By taking time to answer these questions truthfully, I believe you and I can begin to take the first step toward lasting transformation…a true breakthrough!
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of letting myself down!
My soul is exhausted by the merry-go-round of never ending excuses and the constant yo-yo of commitment and lack of follow through.
Girls, God created us with a Spirit of power, love and self-discipline…let’s live into our gifting and commit to the pursuit of meaningful, eternal transformation…together.
Beautiful and thought provoking! I especially love the “What or Whom am I using as my life compass” question.
Thanks Karin! It is so true, isn’t it? We make hundreds, if not thousands of tiny (and sometimes BIG) decisions throughout our days and my fear is that we are so used to running on auto-pilot that we don’t give a single thought to how or why we are making that decision. We have become very reactionary people. I think its a good lesson for all of us to slow down, identify our life compass and always refer back before making our decisions.