So, last Sunday evening I felt the Lord speak and challenge me with this verse and decided to take action. This last week I committed to putting everything I did through the "worthless" filter; checking social media umpteen times a day, watching tv series' online and buzzfeed videos did not make the cut. I implemented my cleaning routine (that I'd made up before Eliana was born), read (and finished) a book that my mum left with me when she came to visit us last year, watched and listened to sermons and focused on being more present.
I started off the week listening to a message from a womens' conference given by Brandi Harrison- I give a womens' teaching once a month at our church and was starting to prepare for my mothers' day message so I thought it would be a good idea.
The message spoke directly to my heart and fed my soul. It covered a variety of things pertaining to being a godly woman but what really spoke to me was when Matthew 11:29-30 was spoken about at the beginning:
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Brandi spoke about how when training a new animal to plow, often a stronger and more experienced animal was yoked with it to help it learn. This is the image that Jesus is giving us- He wants us to walk alongside Him so that He can guide us, teach us and help us. (I fully reccommend listening to the whole message!). I found myself asking,
"Am I walking alongside Jesus? Am I really seeking Him and walking in daily fellowship with Him, allowing Him to guide me, comfort me and bear my burdens?" The answer was no. Routinely praying and reading my Bible in the morning and evening and doing whatever in between wasn't enough. His Word tells me I am to walk in the Spirit, to pray without ceasing, to rejoice in the Lord always. That's a 24/7 thing! God has been speaking to me for months about allowing Him to flow through me and simply be His instrument by drawing close to Him but it took this simple and well-known picture, tied with the challenge from the night before, to truly understand what that meant.
It means looking at my life and all the "worthless" things I invest my time and interest in. How can I hope to have my eyes fixed upon Jesus if I'm filling my mind with worldly things?
"It's only a tv show... it's only facebook... it's only a few YouTube videos to pass the time...it's only a song..."
Having this last week of intentionally examining how I spend my time and especially the things I'm looking at, I've experienced how much easier it is to really walk with Jesus. It's like that old allegory of the black dog and the white dog- which one will win in a fight? The one that I feed most. If I want to be a light in this world for Christ, a light in my home (we all know it can be much more difficult) for Christ, if I want rivers of living water to flow through me and touch those around me then I must be willing to give up the worthless things of this life, however much temporary pleasure they might bring me, and be 100% focused on Christ.
"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:1-2
"... we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18
"Do you not know that friendship with the world is emnity with God? Therefore whoever wished to be a friend of thw world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you supposed it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"?" James 4:4-5
Also, I found that getting on with the work that my hands found to do (and that needed to be done!), being more present especially with Eliana, and spending down time by doing something other than watching something, was simply just way more satisfying and fulfilling.
"...aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands..."
1 Thessalonians 4:11
So, I would encourage those of you who are reading this and perhaps feeling that quiet-but-persistant nudge of the Holy Spirit, don't ignore it. God made us to live in relationship with Him! We will find eternal life in nothing else.
"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." John 17:3
Very true! Thanks for sharing, Amy! I got a lot from this :)
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