Monday, March 14, 2011

Re-Focused

Last weekend I attended an Extraordinary Women (http://www.ewomen.net/) conference with my best friend, Staci.  It's become somewhat a tradition for us to attend this conference and to get a full day and a half of spiritual refreshing and renewal.  I truly love worshiping my Father with several thousand women.  It's an amazing experience!

This year, however, was the first year I planned to attend when I wasn't struggling with something.  I thought "I can just go and get renewed in my current way of life and not really be hit in the face with anything." I was really excited about where my life and my heart were at and was just ready for a weekend away with my gal pal, enjoying worship, good teaching and shopping.

Just then - WHAMO!!! Right smack dab in the face! God must have laughed when I had that thought because he decided to give me a true "Right in the Kisser" Honeymooners-style wake-up call.  I really don't like it when He does that.

The theme for the conference was "Everlasting Hope" and it was all about putting hope in things that cannot bring us fulfillment in the way God does.  I read the theme and thought "Yeah, that's so true...we totally do that."  I was only thinking about the really big things, like our finances, our marriage, our children, our careers, our salvation, our relationships, our ministries...you know, those things that really matter.

What I realized at the conference is that I need to put my hope in Christ in every aspect of my world.  Luke 1:37 says "For NOTHING is impossible, with God."  For months (okay, years) I've struggled with my weight, my motivation and committment to exercise, struggled in my relationships with my mother, brother, and other relatives, struggled through my day to day parenting, struggled to get all the things on my to-do list checked off, struggled to keep the house clean and the laundry done, struggled to be a more enthusiastic and creative cook for my family, struggled with financial decisions, struggled through various situations with my husband, struggled to feel good about my life, and the list goes on.  I've struggled to prove myself to myself and to this world.  I've struggled to show the world "You can't keep me down!" and have lost sight of the real goal...to be an example of God's faithfulness, holiness, and perfect good-ness.  There's no need for me to struggle because nothing is impossible with God!! 

How foolish I've been.  Why have I fallen into Satan's trap of leaning on myself and those people around me instead of falling at the foot of the cross and depending on God to carry me through this life?

I think we all do.  I think Satan is pretty darn good at getting us to believe his lies.  I think Satan doesn't even have to try very hard. It's just that easy to get us to take our eyes off of God.

Like Peter, in Matthew 14:22-33, we must stay focused on God. We must have faith in Him and realize that nothing is impossible with God - even walking on water.  We must put our hope in Him and leave it at the foot of the cross.  We must take our focus off of the things of this world - the media, the money, the numbers on the scale, the image in the mirror, the friendships of this world, the to-do lists - and realize that only God can pull us through our struggles.

When I felt the smack of God at the conference, I felt like a fish flopping around on dry ground, searching for water and gasping for life, weak and tired and losing the fight. 

At the Cross, however, I get all that I need.  I get to breath and to drink all I need.  I get to relax in my Father's arms.  I get drink in the peacefulness that only He can provide. I get the strength to fight because God is in me.  Lamentations 3:25 says "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks him".  At the Cross, I get to rest.  When Christ hung on that cross, He was taking on my burden.  Its pretty pathetic and disgraceful for me to throw that back in His face and not realize His ability to bear that weight.  Noone of this world would do that for me. Nothing of this world would take that burden.  Only Christ.

My prayer for today and forever:

Lord, I confess that I've allowed Satan to turn my focus from You and I've put my hope in the things of self and of this world.  I've lost sight of what You did for me, on the cross.  I have tried to trust in my own abilities.  I've tried to glorify myself in the eyes of others.  I seek the praises and validation of others to build me up. I realize I really need to have faith in the love You have for me.  You will not let me fall.  You will help me to accomplish exactly the plan You've laid out for me. I know nothing is impossible and You are good to those who put their hope in You.  Today, I put my hope at Your feet.  I ask that You will show me the areas of my life where I've allowed my focus to shift and I pray You will, in those moments, remind me that You are there, taking care of everything.  I pray that everything I do will glorify You, not myself.  Thank you, God, for being so good to me and for always patiently waiting on me to get it.  In Jesus' name, Amen. 

1 comment:

  1. You are such a fabulous writer! I totally agree with everything you said. All the speakers addressed the issues of putting our hope in everything else, except God, and yes, we do it entirely way too much. Thanks for sharing that time with me. This will allow us to be each others accountability partner, as we know the other has heard it!! Love ya!

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