During the last two months of 2020 I began thinking ahead to 2021 and what goals I wanted to set for the new calendar year. As usual my list was far longer than I could realistically achieve in a year. As I looked over my list working to whittle it down to something manageable and achievable I noticed that most of my list was task-oriented items. Don’t get me wrong – having these types of goals is a good thing, but as I sat and looked at it my spirit became saddened. There was little on this list of eternal value. My heart sank and that is when the Lord gave me a new acronym for the word GOAL. I needed to change my perspective and make my G.O.A.L. a God Ordered Adjustment List. I needed to make some adjustments to my life to steer away from my workaholic mentality to focus more on what God would desire me to spend my time on. My priorities needed to change to line up with what God’s priorities for my life are. When I look at it from that perspective it matters little if I get that dining room table refinished and more that I go visit a friend who just needs a shoulder to lean on and someone to listen. It means more that when the Lord is nudging me to spend more time with him that I actually stop and spend time with Him instead of saying, “Ok Lord, but let me finish this project first, then I will spend time with you.” It is making sure that I remain flexible in my daily plans to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is putting a higher priority on people than projects. This may sound like an easy task, but when you come for a lifetime of wrong thinking that needs to be corrected, like me, it is not something you can do in your own will. Much of my life I was raised in the belief that my value was attached to my accomplishments. There was a lot of focus put on how much got done in a day, the excellence of the work you produced, and of course lots of praise when you got a lot done without sacrificing excellence in the quality. So, my goals this year are to simply adjust the things in my life that God points out are out of order on my priority list. I know that I can only accomplish this through God’s grace and the daily renewing of my mind – to put first priority on the eternal things and not be so worried over the temporal things. When it comes to the renewing of the mind and thinking more like Jesus thinks, I think the Passion Translation states it beautifully, “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” Romans 12:2 Reform my thinking Lord, so that I think more like you! May my life be satisfying and perfect in Your eyes. Amen. Copyright 2021 Christine L. Edwards
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Sadly, it has been a long time since I have written a blog post. My life took on a new direction professionally over the last year and a half, and I ceased writing what was on my heart. There were times I sat down with the intention to write, but nothing came – nothing. It really began to bother me and I began to seek the Lord on why I was having such an issue returning to what I had loved for so long. I had also noticed that I was beginning to feel dead inside and numb to things I am usually passionate about. So, why did my new job change this area of my life? I had to change the way I was writing. I was thrust into writing in the nonprofit industry and writing documents with industry appropriate language, and writing letters for others and trying to imitate the way they would speak. I was learning to write using everyone else’s voice but my own. It was a real struggle for me, and still is, but because it is part of my job I tried my very best to learn to write this way. As I inquired of the Lord, He showed me that I had spent so much time learning to sound like someone else, that I had voluntarily began to silence my own voice. We have all heard of ghost writers, and this is in many ways what I had become. However, it really hit home to me just how far I had gotten from being true to myself when a dear friend of mine told me, “You’ve been like a ghost lately.” She was right. I had ceased writing anything the Lord laid on my heart. I ceased communicating with those closest to me. I ceased doing Bible studies with others. The more I squashed my own voice, the more I became withdrawn and lifeless. No one forced me to put aside my own voice. I did it voluntarily because I bought into the lie of the enemy. I bought into the lie that the work of the ministry I was working for was more important than the work God was asking me to do on an individual basis, so devoting my time to the work of the ministry should be my top priority. I was busy doing kingdom work, but my priority list did not match God’s priority list. This is my first step in finding my voice again. I want to encourage you not to let anyone silence your voice, and certainly don’t do it voluntarily as I did. Your voice is unique and needs to be heard. Copyright 2021 Christine L. Edwards
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AuthorChristine is a Christian author and avid pursuer of Jesus who teaches and encourages Christians to live a life of influence for Christ. ArchivesCategories |