Tag: Work

It is Good

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It is Good

Have you ever had an idea hit you so hard that you couldn’t ignore it? Itch that instantaneously grabs hold and grows, giving life to your skin, causing it to rise in goosebumps. Thought that ignites like a flash point and spreads like wildfire, to the point it simply cannot be ignored. *Insert raised hand * That was me this morning. Internally shouting loud enough that I skipped the Brooks and Dunn segment I’d been waiting for (don’t judge), I got up, grabbed my laptop, and now you are up to speed…

 

“On Wednesdays we wear pink” played in my head. Many of you, mean or not, might recognize this line from the now 20-year-old movie. Because I’m a sucker for alliterations, this quickly morphed into “on Wednesdays we write,” right alongside make the bed Monday (change bedding), towel Tuesday (wash towels), vacuum Thursday (ok not an alliteration but only other weekday that has a “U” because I don’t wanna do it over the weekend), finish it Friday (finalize any tasks/projects that may have taken over the house)…get the point? A mind trick that helps keep me on a schedule, while accomplishing something that needs to be done, and I use the word “needs” intentionally.

 

Society loves the saying and excitement generated when something is deemed an “overnight success;” however, all the behind-the-scenes work eventually comes out at some point. A man behind the curtain moment, if you will. From Genesis, we learn about creation. “In the beginning God created…” God got to work day one, and on that very first day, after speaking light into existence, “God saw that the light was good” (v 3). Three verses. There was nothing. God created (essentially turned “nothing” into “something”), looked at it, and recognized its value. Here’s the itch that sprang me to life. 

 

How can I arrogantly expect something when I’ve done nothing? The very first five words in the Bible clearly show God worked. Let that sink in for a sec. Upon viewing His work, He knew it was good…because there was something to see. You can have the greatest of ideas, but without putting work into its inception, there is nothing. The world will never see or rejoice in your creativity. Work needs to be done, or it will remain forever formless in the recesses of your mind. 

 

On Wednesdays we write. Today I am putting in the work. I see it in plain black and white, but oh the pops of colors are beginning to swirl! It is good. Thank you, Lord.

Heavenly Strides

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Heavenly Strides

What do you call a writer who doesn’t write? Me. What do you call a Christian who isn’t disciplined in reading His word? Also me. Spending quiet time reading the Bible, feeling His grace and mercy when I do, empowers me to share…His goodness, His truths, His gentle hand in my life. It’s truly a simple formula.

A (Reading the Bible)

+ B (Reflecting on Him)

= C (Writing inspiration)

I KNOW THIS! And yet, I’m mystified when I go through a “dry spell.” I’ll think about writing. I’ll wonder what’s stopping me from writing. I’ll shame myself for not writing. But for whatever reason, I’ll waste more time on the above fruitless efforts, scroll, or play games on my phone and find myself still stuck in the same slump. Here’s one more stinger: I “proudly” have a 100 day streak on a language app because apparently that’s of higher priority in my feeble brain! How utterly ridiculous is that?!

Why am I confessing this to you? Exposing my vanity might give you enough pause to reflect on yours. If that’s offensive, stop reading here. Forgive me friends. You will totally miss the point of what I’m trying to share.

It’s infinitely easier to “busy” ourselves right out of meaningful work, or toil as the Bible references it. Both are four letter words, and we can logicize our way out of it’s profane presence. Labor is hard and often viewed as punishment. But laboring in vain? That’s ultimately more painful friends!

“Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 NRSV

Today, before starting this, I spent time in His word via the Bible app. Easy. Accessible. And in seven minutes, I navigated through the scripture of the day, guided reflection, and spent time with Him in prayer. Seven minutes y’all! That’s significantly less time than ANY of the aforementioned fruitless tasks! And what did it yield? Easing back into the familiar formula: A + B = C

I feel better about myself. I accomplished something meaningful. I found myself back on my purpose path. And as an added bonus, I started a NEW streak: 1 Daily Refresh. Day one is a great place to be friends! It’s a step in the right direction, away from my worrisome past.

The biggest irony of the day? I have the best image of our loving God chuckling as I share this. Here’s one of the verses from today’s guided prayer portion of the Bible app…

“And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”

Matthew 6:17 NRSV

So in my REA/L moment today with you sweet friends, instead of wasting time worrying, let’s commit to working our way back to Him. Be steadfast in the things that matter. Prioritize our streaks towards Heavenly strides.

Feed

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Feed

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m nervous.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m always nervous before ‘x’…”

“It’s ok to be a little nervous, but sweetie, focus on what you want to feed.”

This reminds me of the two wolves parable. When a pair of similarly sized yet polar opposite wolves fight, who will win? The one that’s fed.

All too often, we focus on the wrong thing. Worse, it’s usually the reverse of what we want. Instead of working through the steps we know will put us on the right path, we wallow in the wrong places and wonder why we are coated in the very thing we want freedom from. We foolishly feed the wrong wolf.

It’s challenging to visualize something better when we are inundated by the inferior. Feel confident when cloaked in confusion. Unlike jumbo shrimp, internal oxymorons do not peacefully coexist—they only bring glorious defeat.

Why? Wouldn’t the desire for more override our “stuckness” in less? It should! But the bridge between the two is a nasty little letter word: work.

We don’t want to put in the work it takes to improve. The habit building practice on repeat required to reap the reward of reform. Running through the roadblocks or even better—face planting, getting up, wiping the mud off before it hardens, formulating a better strategy, then implementing. Rinse and repeat until it feels right. The only person who ever spoke their idea into existence wasn’t human, and yet He still worked! Chew on that for a moment…

Genesis Chapter 1 details God’s work in the beginning: He divided, named, produced, created…all action verbs! Only then, after six days did He rest…from all His WORK. Rest without work is a totally different four letter word: lazy.

“You say you doin’ work
But you’re asking where the couch at
How you doin’ work
When you’re asking where the couch at?”

TobyMac, “Till the Day I Die,” This Is Not A Test

Ouch! I felt that, talk about a gut punch.

Work is hard. I think we can agree on that as a common generalization, but it doesn’t have to be. It can simply be a process. Work as a means to an end. If we could earnestly get this concept through our thick skulls and make the mind shift, that’s genuinely the hardest part. From there, it’s one task at a time.

Focus on where you want to go, start with one step, then the next, and the one after that. Momentum is the best fuel, and once you get going, the easier it becomes. Just remember: focus on what you want to feed.

God did not create the Heavens, Earth, and all it’s splendor in a day. Where do we get the ridiculous notion that we can construct anything of lasting value with just a momentary flash of an idea without spending time working the kinks out? Think it’s our God complex. Ouf, that one hit was squarely on the jaw., and admittedly, I am staring directly into the mirror when I said it.

“The lazy will not get what they want, but those who work hard will.”

Proverbs 13:4 NCV

Dang, the punches just keep coming! But in truth, necessary, at least for me, to knock out my languid manner of thinking. I can think something to death, but it will never come to life without W-O-R-K. Trust me, I’ve tried!

So my friends, what’s the thing you’d like to do most? The thing you’d always envisioned for yourself? That reoccurring dream where you wake up smiling and think, “if only…” Our apathetic effort will get us nowhere. Let’s mold our mentality into something more—move past boldly claiming “that thing” for ourselves and begin the work process together. Will the effort be worth it? Absolutely! You won’t go it alone—I pledge to work along side you on my own endeavor. And if we do it right, our enterprise will encourage others. Focus on what you want to feed.