There are so many things in life that can distract you from what you really should be doing. Sometimes, the things that take the most time and consume more of your thoughts and emotions are things that are not really good for you.
I have been guilty of overloading my days and still looking for more and more to do. It is like spending quiet time is somehow something that I unconsciously dread. What is weird, though, is when I do find time to simply sit and think (or simply to stop and breathe), I enjoy that time the most.
Perhaps it is the work ethic that was instilled in me by my parents. They would both work all day, come home and tend to five children and then do the work that needed to be done at home. If they took any time off, it was perhaps one evening a week.
I stopped working outside the house almost twenty years ago. In that time, I have run three businesses and then also had my time consumed by various other hobbies and crafts that filled my days to the brink. I stopped working in order to relax and find myself again after my son passed away but instead, I found myself working longer and harder than I had ever done before.
I wonder how many other people do the same? They look for things to keep their days full and, in doing so, like me, never find the time to stop and talk with God.
In recent months, I’ve found my ability to work has decreased. More than that, my desire to fill my days with needless tasks and hobbies has waned. What I am now doing, is asking for God to give me guidance on what he wants me to do.
A lot of that is spending time with him. In doing so, I am beginning to learn more about the heart of God and what is important to him.
Just this last weekend, our pastor challenged us to look at our lives and find areas where we were spending time and money but which were not bringing forth fruit for the kingdom of God. I was immediately convicted of an area in my life that was just that.
He used the analogy of the fig tree that Jesus cursed. It had green leaves but no fruit. It should have had fruit when it was in leaf but no fruit made it useless.
What it reminded me of was when I was gardening and I used my favorite organic fertilizer on the wrong type of plant. I got leaves galore but no fruit. It took me a while to find out that either I should use a different fertilizer or grow different plants.
In the case of my life, the fertilizer is my time, effort, thoughts and money. The plant I was using these on were important to the world but not to God’s plan. For a long while, in my heart, I knew there were things I needed to walk away from so that I could focus on those things in my life that I needed to nurture and grow. I simply did not want to make the changes I needed to make.
Having finally made my decision, I let the people who follow me in this area know that I would be ceasing immediately. I thought that people might not be happy but, surprisingly, the comments I have received, so far, have been loving and encouraging.
I know that will not always be the case when people stop providing their resources to others. The world wants us to pay more attention to their wants and needs than to do what God has called us to do.
Still, we need to cut those lines. It can be hard when we have made friends in those areas. For me, a number of my friends are there and, I’m fairly certain, most will prove to be fair weather friends. Once I have stopped providing the service I have in the past, they will simply move on to someone else.
That’s okay. I’d rather meet new people who are like minded and who want to serve God as I do. I think more than anything, this switch in friends might be the hardest part for many to deal with.
The thing to remember is that a friend who is there just for what you provide, really is not a friend at all. A friend is someone who is there for you as much as you are for them.
So, as my pastor did for me, I now challenge you to look at your life and find areas where you are spending time and resources and which are not bringing good spiritual fruit into your life. This is not to say that all hobbies are bad. I am still keeping several that I really enjoy.
The pastor asked us to pray and ask God to reveal the area that we needed to prune out. I had barely closed my eyes and streaming across my conscience was the thing I needed to stop. I expect that God will give you the same knowledge. The thing you have to do is listen and be willing to do as he asks.
It’s hard but it is the right thing to do. I know that by getting rid of something that takes up so much time, I am freeing myself to be able to do what God has in store for me next. I’m sure that he will do the same for you. All you have to do is ask him.
John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”