Just to give you an update on what my life's been like lately, here's a typical day in the life of Lauren:
7:00am - roll out of bed...breakfast and Bible time with the family
7:30-8:30 - get ready for the day. Sometimes I try to fit some debate in here.
8:30 - start school
3 or 4:00 - finish school more or less
3-6:00 - debate
6-7:00 - dinner
7-10:00 - debate
11-12:00 - bed
Oh, and I forgot to mention the few snippets of time in the morning (when I'm foggy eyed, trying to blink to wake myself up) and night (when my eyelids are so heavy, that I have to work to keep myself awake) when I pull out my Bible.
What is wrong with this picture?!
I do not, by any means, tell you this so that you will be impressed by my dedication to debate, my hardcore academics, or nicely packed schedule. In fact, I look at my schedule ashamed. disgusted.
Now, don't take me wrong...I love debate! School, debate, music lessons, church activities...they're all great things. But I've allowed them to consume my life. When I pull away from them for a walk or when I'm by myself, I'm thinking about what I'm going to say in my debate round coming up in a few days, which paper is due next, or how I'm going to finish a book in time.
Where did Jesus go?
That's the problem.
I've replaced Jesus with other things.
I mean, sure, I still want Him to be part of my life...but He gets the leftovers, the crumbs, the scraps of time. In essence, my actions, my time, my attention, my schedule are telling my Creator, the Creator who made me, this speck on planet earth, along with all the millions of galaxies that are singing of His splendor...I'm telling this God that He isn't quite as important as all these other things, that I'm confident will give me more pleasure or satisfaction than He will.
"Many of us believe we have as much of God as we want right now, a reasonable portion of God among all the other things in our lives. Most of our thoughts are centered on the money we want to make, the school we want to attend, the body we aspire to have, the spouse we want to marry, the kind of person we want to become....But the fact is that nothing should concern us more than our relationship with God; it's about eternity, and nothing compares with that. God is not someone who can be tacked on to our lives."I want to get to the end of this year, having done my debate, worked on my school, and played my music in a way that tells Jesus that He means everything to me.
- Francis Chan, "Crazy Love"
I want to be crazy for Jesus even in the midst of crazy times.
I want to be all about Jesus.
Please Lord, clear this confused and distracted mind and change this divided heart of mine.
Matthew 6:31-33
Matthew 10:38-39
Psalm 86:11
Thanks so much for sharing this! It's a really encouraging and convicting reminder for me. :)
ReplyDeleteGod bless!
I recently read 'Crazy Love'. It's an awesome book. Thank you for a very convicting post. I often find myself doing the same thing.
ReplyDeleteThanks again! You're posts always provide something new to ponder. :)
"God is not someone who can be tacked on to our lives."
ReplyDeleteThat's so true. I appreciate hearing your thoughts and convictions, Lauren. Probably, because it convicts me too... I've been kinda just telling myself lately that it's not about winning, it's not about top speaker points or anything like that... At a tournament, I want to go in and out of every round knowing, that I did it because Jesus is my Lord, not because I am anything in-and-of-myself. I want my everything to point to Him. And the thing is, what I really want, is for people to see that in my life and be encouraged by it. If our lives are changed so that they are all about the Gospel, all about Jesus, we will be different. Then we can be the salt and light of the earth.
Thanks for your such encouraging thoughts. They really did speak volumes.
--Quin