Text: Romans 12:1-2, John 4:24, Psalm 95:1-11
As I sit down to write to you girls today, I have a confession. As I crack my knuckles, take a swig of coffee, and strap on my noise cancelling headphones, I have to tell you: this is attempt #14 at focusing long enough to appropriately meditate on and respond to these rich and right scriptures for today’s devotional. Talk about last minute: I am literally writing this 10 hours before it is intended to go live on the site.
My focus is off and my distractions number in the hundreds right now, it seems. And I need to repent.
Our family is preparing for a cross-town move at the end of next week and every utility company in the phone book requires applications and signatures and fees and phone calls. I’m getting texts from our builder asking “have you selected hooks for the mudroom yet?” and “it looks like you accidentally had some things delivered to a house that doesn’t belong to you yet.” I woke up no less than 4 times last night, working through details and decisions and checklists. (True story: two nights ago I actually dreamed I was taking a nap! That’s how exhausting these weeks have been—even in my sleep, I need more sleep.)
When I woke this morning, my thoughts immediately went to troubleshooting furniture arrangements. My waking (and sleeping) hours have been heavily focused on a to-do list that is all-consuming.
Now, there’s nothing innately wrong with a good to-do list—I’m not sure how I’d get anything done without them. But, I know the difference in my heart between managing tasks and throwing my mind, body, and spirit into something—and I know I’ve been fixing my whole heart on something that won’t last.
Have you read today’s scriptures yet? I have to tell you, Romans 12:1-2 is sure proof in my life that God’s Word is “sharper than any two-edged sword… discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Once I finally sat my bottom in my desk chair to study and pray today, I found myself reading it over and over again, checking it in various translations. And I repented for my heart that is too often “conformed” and not nearly enough “transformed.”
I loved what I found in the Message translation:
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
I confess my attention has been fixed elsewhere, and I think I’ve been missing a lot of God-cues and opportunities to love His people well. Not because graceless guilt tells me so, but because the Holy Spirit has been faithfully convicting me of this for days. It’s between Him and me. I only share this with you today because I think I’m not alone, and I want you to know that you’re not alone either.
If you find yourself so wrapped up in a project or life event that things of eternal significance are cast by the wayside, sit still a moment. Fix your attention on the eternal Savior. If you are having a hard time “readily recognizing what He wants from you”, return to Him in prayer. Let Him change you from the inside out. Our heavenly Father is full of grace and mercy, faithful to forgive and redeem—faithful to transform our too-easily-conformed hearts.
And then comes my favorite part. We worship! We respond to the Creator and Redeemer with thanksgiving and adoration!
We confess and repent.
He forgives and transforms us.
And we worship!
Whether my eyes were fixed on Jesus this week or on boxes that need to be packed, whether my attention is on His unending grace or my need for uninterrupted internet service, He is faithfully transforming me from an earth-bolted girl to a woman with a renewed mind and spirit. And whatever your life looks like this week, He is doing the same in you. For that, let us say with the Psalmist, “Come, let us worship and bow down!”
I needed to read this!!! It hit home and I’m grateful that you poured your heart out so I know I’m not alone in this struggle. Life grips up pretty hard and I struggle with this. God will not forsake me. But I must pray, repent and worship. Beautifully put, thanks be to God!
This is right where I was last week! I’m so glad and encouraged that I’m not alone and even more grateful to be a child of God and a recipient of His forgiveness, grace and mercy.
Sometimes I feel guilty after reading something like this and talking to all of my friends with kids who are out of their minds busy. I get weekends to myself, to sleep in, relax, read books and work out. Then I remember that God has me exactly where I need to be at this time. Guilt is not from God! I need to rise up and step into the purpose that God has for my life. I am childless, I have more time than so many to dedicate to His work in my life! I have to be brave and submit my life fully to Him so that I can be his hands and feet.
Wow I love what your wrote here Hayley! I’m in the same boat as you, no kids and plenty of free time! Thanks for posting this, reaffirmed what God has been teaching me about being in this stage of my life for a reason!
Amen! I feel the same way! I’m single with no kids and Ive been struggling with being totally brave in fully stepping up to everything God wants me to do. I have to be brave and take advantage of this season in my life and grow. I love how God uses each season in our life for a purpose. He is so sovereign.
Just when I feel alone in this it amazing to wake up and read how others are going through the same thought process as my self.
God is so gracious and to know the body of Christ feels like I do, is comforting. What I go through in this busy world is no different than what some of you go through as well. Thankful for this blog.
Absolutely loved and needed this!
I work in communications in politics…talk about unending distraction from worship and consistent focus on the world!! Today I found myself 3 days behind on my quiet time and compromising my lent sacrifices (all focused around ridding myself of the things that I allow to suck my time away from the Word and from God.) I needed these words so much (as well as the other days I was behind on!) and do I ever relate to dreaming about sleeping and only thinking about if where I am has internet?! Haha anyway, thank you for sharing your distractions and being a reminder that it’s not only me…and that I can and must find Him anywhere and everywhere in the midst of the insanity!
I so needed this. Thank you. Sometimes (or maybe even most times) it’s not bad or evil things that distract us and cause us to take our eyes from the King but it’s the everyday things–the decisions to be made, the list to be completed, the deadlines to be met. It’s in those times of doing “good” things that I’m mostly easily distracted from worship to The Lord and instead conform to this world. Thank you for your honesty and reminder to turn back to Him in the midst of the chaos.
I needed to hear that kind of pure honesty. Upon waking earlier, I asked God specifically how do I go about becoming full of Him. How do I get rid of a hole that has been left inside of me from a broken marriage? How? And then I read Raechel’s message. It was meant for me today. Coincidentally, t too am packing boxes and living through to-do lists these days as well! I’m so thankful for your words, Raechel, and for you ladies. You strengthen me in so many ways!