Whatever it is that you are frantically trying to accomplish this Monday morning... Just stop. Take a minute and take inventory.
That racing about like your life depended on it...anxious and worried for the outcome you desire...juggling so many balls in the air that you feel paralyzed about where to even begin...and wanting deeper with Christ, but too busy to sit and listen to his voice? That?
That perpetual building you are constructing could very well be walling you in rather than laying a strong foundation. Your relentless bricklaying could be fashioning a prison, rather than a lighthouse. Are you growing freer as a result of the work of your hands, or are you becoming more enslaved?
You see, even beautiful and godly things like working hard, seeking a disciplined life, and striving for excellence can ultimately if done without Christ, keep us from the very life we truly seek. We hope to find true living, Christ-likeness, and value and worth; but, what we may find instead is a life bound to busyness, schedule, expectations, and our own abilities. It sneaks up on us-- this self-sufficiency and idea that we can make things happen the way we need them to, if we only try hard enough.
And maybe perhaps you've heard me say this before: We were never meant to make it on our own. We were created to need Him.
So, our family takes inventory by heading down to the river, where the giant cottonwoods are declaring the glories of transformation. A life dependent on what the Creator provides. A life that changes with each season. A life that never has to rush or race about, because it is simply doing what it is created to do.
I'm so done with rushing and racing. I'm eager to grow in my understanding of rest. I'm not content to fit as much into my life as I possibly can, just to find that I have no room remaining for what is of greatest importance.
And so, we stop (if only within) and take inventory of what we are building and how to have freedom in it. By God's grace and merciful care, we know it begins with us setting down the bricks and mortar, to pick up our Swords. God has something to say about our worries. He has something to say about our anxieties, our plans, our fears, our relationships, our families, our work, and our purpose.
The cold winds may blow, and the seasons may change...but we can stand firm being who our Creator has made us to be. Nothing more and nothing less.
Posted on my Instagram feed last night during our walk down by the river: "There are no flattering filters, editing tools, and sentimental captions in the trenches of real everyday life...the life that is replete with stress, disappointments, joy, and loss. Choosing in the dark what you know to be true in the light is the real picture of beauty in marriage."
Drawing Close {31 Days of sketching and noting grace through drawing.}
Join me every day this month for the Drawing Close series.
Day 1: Drawing Close Intro Day 2: A Portrait Day 3: Parts of A Whole Day 4: Be Strong and Courageous Day 5: A World Where There Are Octobers {My Birthday} Day 6: Keep Moving Forward Day 7: Bearing Fruit Day 8: Capturing Life In Motion Day 9: Real (Uncomfortable) Hospitality Day 10: In Process, In Progress Day 11: Beginnings Day 12: Underpinnings Day 13: Rest In Him Day 14: The Mercy of Layers Day 15: Tulips For Morocco Day 16: On His Side Day 17: Dear Soul Day 18: Flowery Beds Of Ease Day 19: Dogwoods Sketch Day 20: Weekend Watercoloring Day 21: Because Love Abounds And We Abide Day 22: The Water To My Color Day 23: Significance of Dogwoods Day 24: By Faith Day 25: The Old Toolbox Day 26: Thankful For Breath Day 27: Number 4 Day 28: Nothing More and Nothing Less Day 29: He Calls Us By Name Day 30: It Takes Time Day 31: Ars Longa, Vita Breva