It's More About the Where

You've heard it your whole life: "You reap what you sow." What you sow. And it's true, you really do. But in a recent message, that old saying took on a whole new meaning.

You sow kindness, you reap kindness. You sow love, you reap love. You sow hard work, you reap success. You sow time, you reap growth. That all sounds great, right? But where are you sowing?

Have you ever thought about that? It's not justwhat you sow, but where you sow. If I want to be successful in my job, I sow the work, the dedication, the time it takes to be successful. If I want to be a good friend, I sow the time, the effort, the loyalty needed to reap friendship. If I want to be fit and healthy, I sow the work, the dedication, the sacrifice it takes to get there. But those are the easy things, aren't they? Those are the things that most of us already do...every day.

So what about the things that really matter? Is my marriage what it could be? Maybe, if the answer is no, that's where I should be investing more of my sowing. How are my connections with my kids? Would they say I'm really plugged in? That I really listen? That I turn away from the the tv or computer when they want my attention? Maybe, if the answers are no, that's where I should be investing more of my sowing. Where's my relationship with Jesus right now? How often to I crack open my Bible? How often to I pray...that doesn't involve a meal? When was the last time I went to church? If the answers are border on "it's been a while", then for sure that's where I need to invest more of my sowing.

If you're anything like me, you sow where you reap the most affirmation. You sow where you reap the most appreciation. The thing is, if I'm sowing as I should in my Father and what His best is for me, I'll have the affirmation, the confidence, the peace that I need in my life. And when I'm finding those things in Him, it's so much easier to see that if I SOWED more into those things that matter most, I'd also REAP more in those things that matter most.

It's not just what you sow, it's where you sow. Choose wisely.

Can you handle it?

Several days ago a friend posted a status update on Facebook that really hit me. Hard. Square between the eyes.

God will never put more on your plate than you can handle. So I must not overload my plate.

Ok, so here's the thing. I know there's no Scripture in the Bible that says God won't give us more than we can handle. In fact, we're almost guaranteed to have more than we can handle...on our own. That's why we need Him. To get through those things. But He does promise to give us what we need to get through whatever it is in front of us.

So, having said that, how full is your plate? Here's why my friend's status really hit me. We overload our proverbial plates on a daily basis. It seems to be the American way. If you have a free minute, you need to fill it. We fill it with good things, necessary things, God things, me things, guilt things, keep-up-with-the-neighbors things. We fill our plates to the point that one morsel more and it will all come spilling over the sides...with our emotions in tow.

But what happens when an extra helping of something unexpected comes our way? That's why that status really hit me. We fill our plates so much that anything unexpected can push us to the brink, to the breaking point. We throw our hands up and say, "I can't handle it!"

So what if my plate wasn't so full? What if, instead of overcommitting and overextending, I prayerfully considered everything going onto my plate...even the things that seem trivial? And started with the necessary, with God's best. What if I let God direct me in filling my plate and only put on it what He planned? What if I put my agenda aside and allowed him to work his plan? And what if I was ok with my plate not being full? What if I left room on my plate for when the unexpected happens?

Maybe, just maybe, if I didn't spin my wheels filling my plate and let God fill the plate He has for me, I'd feel better able to handle the unexpected. Maybe then I'd feel overwhelmed, exhausted, burnt out less often. Maybe then I'd feel more peace in the everyday. Maybe then I would be ready to handle it.

Trust or Worry

"You must choose to trust Me or to worry." A simple line from a simple devotion...for kids. Why is it that sometimes He has to speak to me in the most childlike ways for me to get it?

As that simple line appeared on my Twitter feed today, it spoke to something deep within me. And it was like a light bulb turned on. Do I trust or do I worry? Yesterday, I would have told you that I do both. I trust God to be who He says He will be. To provide. To lead. To guide and direct. To protect. To make a way. To heal. I pray about them. Then I worry about them...at least some of them. With my words, I say I trust. But in my heart I worry.

Because you can do both...at the same time, right?

Today, it hit me. I can't. I can't do both at the same time. I can't trust Him to move my mountain and worry about how it will move. I can't trust him to provide then worry about where provision will come from. I can't trust Him to come through then act on my own out of impatience.

If I truly trust Him, I cannot worry. If I worry, I don't truly trust Him. It's so hard to get my heart around that. In my head it makes sense. In my heart, where emotion runs deep, worry creeps in. Worry takes hold. And soon trust is just lip service.

Today my focus has been to take worry captive. Today I've made a choice. Today, when worry has started to creep in, I've reminded myself that trusting Him brings much more peace. I've reminded myself where my help comes from. I've reminded myself who holds me. Today I choose trust.