These days are long. There is no doubt about it. Leaving our old life behind in pursuit of my husband’s dream has changed more than just our physical address and location. What I thought were long days in the past are nothing compared to the long days of now. Yet, though the days are long and the work is hard, I find joy in knowing that I am exactly where God wants me today. I have no doubt about that truth.
Looking back at my life, there have not been many times when I could say that and know it to be truth. I am thankful that God has been faithful in bringing me this far, to the place where I could unequivocally say that I was in His will and know that I didn’t fight Him to get here. Once again God performed a miracle in me and I’m humbled by this truth.
[Tweet “All too often our long days are made up of our own choices.”]
I miss my little corner here and often times find myself longing to write, but I have nothing to really say. So, I do what needs to be done that day and pray for words for tomorrow. I don’t want to just be sitting down to write words on a screen. My days are too full for that now, I desire to truly share what God has been doing in me and encourage you to keep pressing forward, to keep pursuing God and His will for your life.
So, today I’m here to encourage you through the long days you have, don’t live in desperation in them. Reach out to the Lord for His strength and ask Him to fill you with the desire to do all things as unto Him. He will give you all that you need for each long day that you face, if only you will call out to Him.
1 John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
Before we moved I had many plates that were full…no, they were overflowing. I had too many tasks, commitments and things I expected of myself that had to be eliminated from my life because of this move. I knew before I even got here that my days were going to be long and that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with all of my commitments. So, prayerfully I considered each of my commitments and tasks, asking the Lord for direction as to which ones I needed to let go of. Some of them were difficult to let go, they were part of my dream. Writing had become who I was and yet I knew that God desired to make changes within me, to prepare me for His will here and so I said goodbye to writing commitments…even at my besties’ corners, Worshipful Living and Missional Call.
I have a tendency to pile things back onto my plate even after I empty them, so to encourage me to learn to say yes only to the best things…the things God has for me…I am reading, The Best Yes, by Lysa Terkeurst. When I first saw the title I knew I needed to read the book and that was even before we knew of this move. God was preparing me for changes I didn’t even know about.
All too often our long days are made up of our own choices. Decisions must be made, but we must learn how to make the right ones. Not just the right choices for us, but for our family and the right ones according to God’s will and direction for our lives. Our ways are not God’s ways nor are our thoughts God’s, so we must prayerfully consider each and every decision and opportunity before adding more to our already full lives.
I’m thankful that I heeded God’s calling to empty my life of too many tasks and commitments. I am living life in a way that I haven’t done in a long time. I have white space in my days for family, reading and relaxing time. Those are three things that I haven’t had in a long time and I’m thankful for the moments in each one of them that I am able to be present for once again.
Do you struggle with over committing? What steps do you take to ensure you make the right decision? How do you keep your plates from becoming too full to handle?