Fill It Up!

Before I changed my eating habits close to a year and a half ago, I used to say my favorite restaurant was a free buffet. I took great pleasure in putting away a ton of food and was comfortable whether it was a salad bar, pizza buffet, Chinese restaurant, or country cooking. Fortunately, I had friends who shared a love for the bottomless food pit and worked with teenagers who would relish the challenge of "all-you-can-eat." We were known for looking for a buffet when it came time to eat and would share tales of the amount of food we had eaten in different places. We even planned out the location of our favorite buffet restaurants for our road trips.

At these gluttony palaces I would pile the food on my plate even though it wasn't necessary-after all, I could go back as many times as I wanted. In fact, sometimes the food would fill my plate to the point of overflowing. In my efforts to get as much as possible on one plate I would inevitably end up losing some food item off the side when something else was added. No matter how much I wanted to put on my plate, there was a limit and something would be lost if I persisted.

While I may not frequent those eating establishments anymore, I am still guilty of trying to crowd too many things onto one plate. In my desire to not miss out on anything and to be part of big, positive projects I end up squeezing out things that are important. This doesn't diminish my desire to achieve more, but it leaves me feeling frustrated when I can't keep the things that really matter in front of me. With too many items on one day's agenda there is a guarantee that something will be pushed off due to a lack of time and energy.

I've either got to limit the number of tasks I take on or resign myself to losing something when it falls off the edge.

It Matters

Everything we do matters even if we sometimes feel that isn't true. It might feel like a mundane task isn't making a substantial difference or that our daily routine isn't having an impact. The truth is that even our smallest conversations or seemingly minimal objectives are part of the larger scope of our environment. The key for us is to make sure that we are doing what matters most. 

Can we recognize what needs our attention in this moment? Are we able to accurately assess where our focus should be and then take action for that specific need? This might lead to a change in daily schedule, unplanned quality time with family, an increased focus on community, conversations with a good friends, or a shift in day-to-day responsibilities. Some changes might last for a season of needed focus while others may be an immediate need on that day. 

The key to our effectiveness is in recognizing that need and then quickly taking action. When we start doing what matters most we will find greater personal satisfaction and fulfillment.

More of Less

I need to create variety in what I do. While I enjoy certain routines and ways of doing things I also need to change it up to find complete satisfaction. I can spend several hours doing one thing and will then need to change my focus and work on something else. While variety is good I've discovered that sometimes it leads to me taking on too many projects at once. In my passion to have expanded impact I end up managing too many different things. When I was younger I believed I was capable of handling all of these with excellence. As I've gotten older I've realized that I need to do less so that I can do more.

I'm slowly learning to change my thinking and more accurately assess what I'm capable of doing. I believe that I am a high capacity achiever, but my definition of that is slowly changing. It's not that I can do more things than other people, but that I need to channel my energies into high achievement in concentrated areas. This is where I will be the greatest benefit and find the greatest satisfaction. It's echoed in this simple quote from the book, The One Thing, "...the key to success isn't in all the things we do but in the handful of things we do well."

How can you tighten your scope of concentration? What do you need to set aside so that you can have the highest level of impact and personal contentment?

First Position

I first discovered Stovall Weems when I read his book, Awakening, and was challenged in

unexpected ways. When I found out that he had written another book I was eager to read it and hoped to be pushed spiritually and mentally once again. After finishing, I can easily say that I was not disappointed by his latest book, The God First Life. I found myself underlining multiple passages and writing notes in the margins as his words stirred my thoughts and spirit. Stovall has a way of writing that presents things that I already know to be true, but they are phrased in a way that often causes me to murmur in verbal agreement as I read. It's a solid, spirit-filled presentation of fundamental truths that reminded me of where my focus should be centered-on God alone.

Stovall begins his book by adding two simple words to a common phrase, "your life, God's way." It's the addition of these words that challenges our allegiance and directs our hearts to seek God above all else. These flow out of Matthew 6:33 and the command from Jesus to seek the kingdom of God before we seek anything else. This is the most essential directive from Christ and the foundation of the book-nothing should be in the highest priority except for God himself.

The book proceeds to take the reader through the fundamental parts of the life of a devoted Christ-follower. Stovall carefully takes the reader through a pathway of deeper devotion and discipleship that is all centered on God. It all makes sense and yet is presented in a way that stimulates thought in new ways. None of this is a brand-new revelation, yet it still pushes me to think carefully about my own pathway of growth in Christ.

I would feel extremely comfortable recommending this book to new believers as well as the more seasoned Christ follower. It's an excellent guide for initial discovery and an impetus for mid-faith growth and refocus. We all need the reminder to make sure that each part of our faith is centered on seeking God above all other things. 

Making Time

What are you making time for in your life? When you make certain decisions (to get married, have a family, accept a job, volunteer, follow Christ) there are responsibilities that along with those choices. With our limited resources of time and energy, we will only be able to invest in certain things. While choosing to act responsibly will limit the expendable time we have left, it is still ours to spend. The question all of us face is what we will do in those moments.

• Do we increase the depth of our current relationships? 
• Are we reading & learning as a leader? 
• Are we wasting time in efforts that bring no return results? 
• Are we finding pleasure in a hobby that keeps getting squeezed out of our daily schedule? 
• Do we volunteer and give part of that time back to others with no expectations in return?
• Are we finding time to rest and recover from the other parts of our week?
• Do we consistently make time for exercise?
• When are we devoting ourselves to our journey with God?

We will make time for the things that are important to us. Once we figure out what that is we might have to move our schedules around to make time for it all. We either go through the rescheduling or end up lamenting the lack of time we have for important things.

Spend Wisely

As I wrote here earlier this week, I believe most of us understand that we have limited resources. We

recognize that we can't do everything we want to do or have everything that we desire either. No matter how much we may attempt to manipulate the clock we all have the same amount of time each day. Even if we are in excellent physical condition there will be a limit to our physical energy. We are only able to process so many things mentally. We possess a finite amount of emotional currency to invest in our relationships and can only truly connect to a certain number of people. What this means for each of us is that there are choices that must be made as we decide where we will put our daily emphasis.

How will we spend what we have? What areas of our life will we give more to than others? Will we spend generously with what we've been given or we will be miserly in our time and energy with other people? Our answers to these questions will determine our overall health, our rate of maturity, and the health of our relationships with those that are important to us. 

Last Resort

A motel in Cocoa Beach, Florida has recently changed their business model and decided to become a clothing optional inn. The owner of the motel stated that business has been so bad lately that he didn't have any other options and that a "nekkid" establishment was their last resort. 

What do we do when we feel we have no choices left? Immature faith will keep choosing other options instead of Christ as long as we think they are available. We relegate Christ to a fail safe alternative or a bailout plan instead of our primary focus. Naturally, this is not God's design for our relationship with Him, so He will set up scenarios where we have to make a choice. This creates a pivotal moment in our faith and an opportunity for us to experience growth in our relationship with Christ. It is a shifting of our perspective from exhausting every other possibility before seeking God, to looking for Him before anything else.

He isn't Creator of the universe and King of all Kings so He can be our backup plan. Genuine intimacy and submission to Christ means that He has become our first and last resort.

Front Page News

We struggle for continuity in our relationship with God. When crisis is the dominant theme of our life we are consumed with thoughts of His deliverance. When we are faced with major life decisions and need divine wisdom, God is the leading character in our news story as we seek what He has to offer. It reinforces the statement I have shared with countless people (but did not author): we seek God in desperation or devastation.

Once these moments have passed (although some live in crisis longer than others) we start to push God off the front page. It doesn't happen immediately, but we begin the process of wedging our own agenda into the place we once reserved for God. Eventually we squeeze Him out of the #1 spot and relegate Him to the margins where we feel most comfortable leaving Him until we need rescue or guidance.

It isn't a pretty picture of our relationship with Him and I don't relish admitting that I have done this myself. I've seen the results of selfish, personal desire as the leading story and I can attest that God at the forefront will always lead to better results.