Up until this past Monday morning, I had built a beautiful wall in front of me. HGTV and DIY is my "white noise" so I know how to build one strong and mighty, very decorative and one that can disguise or hide unsightly flaws..
Then Monday came and Monday morning I had a powow with Deena and Monday afternoon I made some decisions.
I am in at stage right now that is more like being out on a sand bar at the river, just standing there, watching everything else go by, or like being in front of a road block or on one side of the road separated by a center divider..
or behind a big beautiful,decorative, flaw hiding, protective wall.
You know, a place that might make you feel stuck, or something that slows you almost to a stop and makes you have to decide which way you are going to go, or maybe... something that hides you from what you believe to be risks, a protective barrier from possible failure.
Sound familiar?
If you have read my blog for the past 7 years...or just 7 months, you might think that this is a pattern with me. It is. I am growing. We all are and maybe I should have been a masonry contractor because even when I was young, I built walls. Earliest I can remember is when I was trying to learn math...uggghhhhh. I can vividly remember sitting in the dining room at Mrs. Larzo's house and she was so gentle and nurturing about teaching me math...and I just sat there, behind my wall...and pretty much sat there and until a huge bright light turned on..and then I was good.
Truth #1: I am tired, and when I am tired, I forget to trust, and when I forget to trust, I start questioning every direction and when I start questioning every direction, I build a wall and when I build a wall, I don't sit on top and let the sun shine or the rain splash on me..I stand like Judy Moody with my arm crossed and my toe tapping. It is called Simply Complicated and if you have been a long time reader, you know that phrase. It all is very simple and yet I create my very own self-road block by complicating things.
Until Monday.
Then Tuesday came and I received a "to-do" list from two friends yesterday (thank you girls) and as I am now going over my to-do's, I thought maybe I would share it with you because I am pretty POSITIVE that I am not the only sitting behind this big beautiful, decorative wall.
Stop Procrastinating!
"There is nothing I cannot master with the help of Christ who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13 JB)
The Bible gives us five actions we can take to stop procrastinating:
1. Stop making excuses. "The lazy
man is full of excuses" (Proverbs 22:13 LB). What have you been saying
you're going to do "one of these days"? What do you make excuses about?
The number one excuse I hear is, "When things settle down, then I'm
going to ..." Things will never settle down. You must make a choice to
prioritize what is important.
2. Start today. Not next month, next
week, or tomorrow. "Never boast about tomorrow. You don't know what
will happen between now and then" (Proverbs 27:1 GNT). None of us is
guaranteed a tomorrow.
3. Establish a planned schedule. Proverbs
13:16 says, "A wise man plans ahead. A fool doesn't" (LB). If you fail
to plan, you're planning to fail. You need to designate some specific
time slots each week for the things you need to do. Whatever it is, put
it on your calendar. And if it’s a big task, break it down into small
pieces. Break it into bite-size pieces.
4. Face your fears. We hate to admit
we have fears, because we think they’re a sign of weakness. But fear is
a sign of humanity. Only fools are not afraid. You’ve heard it said,
“Courage is not the absence of fear; it's moving ahead in spite of our
fears.” The Bible says there is nothing you cannot master with the help
of Christ who gives you strength.
5. Focus on what you gain, not the pain. There
are very few things in life that are easy. You must push through the
frustration and look at the gain beyond the pain. Concentrate on how
good you're going to feel once you've finished the task.
Galatians 6:9 says, "So let us not become tired of
doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we reap a
harvest" (NLT).
Jesus never said life would be easy. There will be
sacrifice and commitment. But there is tremendous reward when we do the
things he calls us to do.
Talk About It
- Don’t ask, "What do I feel like doing?" Instead ask, "What does God want me to do?"
- I want you to write down three things you know God
wants you to do, one item each in these three areas: your family, your
personal life, and your career. Choose one of those three, and start
today. Even if you can only work on your goal 15 minutes a day, do it —
you’ll feel so much better!
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in
Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and most influential
churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller "The Purpose Driven Life." His book, "The Purpose Driven Church," was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.
This devotional © 2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
So there you have it...a to-do list...and a big beautiful wall to sit up on and make a plan...join me, won't you?