Well it is officially official - life is back to normal.
The lazy days of summer are over - the crazy days of the school year have begun.
This week has been one of the busiest weeks we have had in a while. Between football practices, cheerleading practices, tumbling practices, tennis practices, football games, tennis matches, work, church, school, homework, hormones, drama and social lives - our family hardly time to even eat this week!
So describes the life of the average American woman.
But in the midst of this crazy week, I read one short little sentence that made me take a mental break from the craziness of life, and focus on a spiritual break with God.
On Wednesday, my sweet friend Zoe posted a quick little sentence on her Facebook wall, that made me stop and think. She simply wrote, "what are you doing to change someones life today?"
Hmmmmm. I was sure I had done something. Although nothing came to mind immediately, I hoped I could come up with something profound before the day was up.
After all, I had been really busy! Super busy, with important stuff. All those activities I mentioned above, required sacrifice, time, effort, money, love, and lots and lots of hours behind the wheel of my car.
But had any of my activities, and busyness, actually changed a life?
I know all those things were good things. Things that a good little mommy does for the people she loves. Things that we should do out of love, not obligation.
But did they change a life? Seriously - did anything I was doing that day hold the value of impacting someones life for the better?
As I was beating myself up over the fact that maybe I was not doing anything of much importance when it came to changing lives, God impressed upon my heart that I didnt have to pull a drowning person from a raging flood, or save someone from a burning car, to change a life.
The reality is, that those drastic life-changing opportunities are few and far between (thank goodness!) but the little things that we do each and every day can, and do, impact lives.
As we love on our families and care about their feelings, we are showing them kindness, which teaches them to be kind.
As we pray with our children about hard situations at school, we are teaching them to be dependent on God.
As our families see us trusting God to provide and thanking Him for the blessings that we have, they see us trusting Gods ways, which teaches them to trust.
As we do simple things liking fixing dinner for those we love, or going to work every day to provide for their physical needs, we are exhibiting servanthood, which teaches them about the importance of serving others.
Even as we spend fourteen hours in the car in one week while toting our children from one place to another, we are providing an example of placing the desires and needs of another person, before our own, simply because we care.
As our children - and other people who may be observing us from a distance- notice how we stop to hold open a door for someone, say thank you, help a stranger with their grocery bags, give money to a homeless person, hold our tongue when we are angry, forgive someone who hurt us, spend time in our Bibles, serve at church, help someone with a project at work that is not even our responsibility - we are making a statement about who we are are, who we worship, and who we are in Christ.
If you think about it, one of the keys to changing a life, in our every day circumstances and routine busyness, can really be found in one of the most popular verses in the Bible.
It is a verse that we may know by heart, but that we often forget to adhere to as we are running through the streets of life at full force speed.
A verse that sounds great and spiritual and wonderful - but a verse that is much harder to apply, than it is to believe.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (NIV)
Random offerings of fruit, will result in a delicious harvest of words, actions and behaviors that impact hearts, and maybe, even change a life.
God will use our ordinary lives, to do extraordinary things, if we remember to bear fruit along the way.
He uses our random acts of kindness, to those we love, those we may not love, and even those we have never met, to impact hearts as they see Him shining through us.
I have a challenge for us to tackle together over the next week.
Lets focus on starting a fruit revolution - a kindness revolution - a loving revolution - a saving revolution.
Every morning for the next week, as soon as you wake up, ask God a little question... "what can I do to change a life today?".
I cant speak for God, of course, but I can only imagine, that if we ask Him that question with an open heart and mind, He will show us the answer.
The lazy days of summer are over - the crazy days of the school year have begun.
This week has been one of the busiest weeks we have had in a while. Between football practices, cheerleading practices, tumbling practices, tennis practices, football games, tennis matches, work, church, school, homework, hormones, drama and social lives - our family hardly time to even eat this week!
So describes the life of the average American woman.
But in the midst of this crazy week, I read one short little sentence that made me take a mental break from the craziness of life, and focus on a spiritual break with God.
On Wednesday, my sweet friend Zoe posted a quick little sentence on her Facebook wall, that made me stop and think. She simply wrote, "what are you doing to change someones life today?"
Hmmmmm. I was sure I had done something. Although nothing came to mind immediately, I hoped I could come up with something profound before the day was up.
After all, I had been really busy! Super busy, with important stuff. All those activities I mentioned above, required sacrifice, time, effort, money, love, and lots and lots of hours behind the wheel of my car.
But had any of my activities, and busyness, actually changed a life?
I know all those things were good things. Things that a good little mommy does for the people she loves. Things that we should do out of love, not obligation.
But did they change a life? Seriously - did anything I was doing that day hold the value of impacting someones life for the better?
As I was beating myself up over the fact that maybe I was not doing anything of much importance when it came to changing lives, God impressed upon my heart that I didnt have to pull a drowning person from a raging flood, or save someone from a burning car, to change a life.
The reality is, that those drastic life-changing opportunities are few and far between (thank goodness!) but the little things that we do each and every day can, and do, impact lives.
As we love on our families and care about their feelings, we are showing them kindness, which teaches them to be kind.
As we pray with our children about hard situations at school, we are teaching them to be dependent on God.
As our families see us trusting God to provide and thanking Him for the blessings that we have, they see us trusting Gods ways, which teaches them to trust.
As we do simple things liking fixing dinner for those we love, or going to work every day to provide for their physical needs, we are exhibiting servanthood, which teaches them about the importance of serving others.
Even as we spend fourteen hours in the car in one week while toting our children from one place to another, we are providing an example of placing the desires and needs of another person, before our own, simply because we care.
As our children - and other people who may be observing us from a distance- notice how we stop to hold open a door for someone, say thank you, help a stranger with their grocery bags, give money to a homeless person, hold our tongue when we are angry, forgive someone who hurt us, spend time in our Bibles, serve at church, help someone with a project at work that is not even our responsibility - we are making a statement about who we are are, who we worship, and who we are in Christ.
If you think about it, one of the keys to changing a life, in our every day circumstances and routine busyness, can really be found in one of the most popular verses in the Bible.
It is a verse that we may know by heart, but that we often forget to adhere to as we are running through the streets of life at full force speed.
A verse that sounds great and spiritual and wonderful - but a verse that is much harder to apply, than it is to believe.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (NIV)
Random offerings of fruit, will result in a delicious harvest of words, actions and behaviors that impact hearts, and maybe, even change a life.
God will use our ordinary lives, to do extraordinary things, if we remember to bear fruit along the way.
He uses our random acts of kindness, to those we love, those we may not love, and even those we have never met, to impact hearts as they see Him shining through us.
I have a challenge for us to tackle together over the next week.
Lets focus on starting a fruit revolution - a kindness revolution - a loving revolution - a saving revolution.
Every morning for the next week, as soon as you wake up, ask God a little question... "what can I do to change a life today?".
I cant speak for God, of course, but I can only imagine, that if we ask Him that question with an open heart and mind, He will show us the answer.
3 comments:
Tracie, I loved Zoe's devo also. Great follow up post on it. I love the new look on your blog too.
We are this busy again, too. It is nice to think of little things that show our love and caring, even in the busy-ness. Thanks for the encouraging words.
Teresa
Good idea Tracie. I will start doing this challenge during this new week.
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