Living Intentionally

A Matter of Minutes

Maybe it was reflecting back on family nights last week. Or possibly it was attending my nephew’s wedding this past Saturday. But for whatever reason, I have been thinking a lot about the brevity of life.

It seems only a short time ago that CJ and I were sitting on the floor playing Memory Game with our 3 girlies. It feels as if it was just yesterday when I caught Marcus (my nephew) hoisting up his co-conspirator cousin (my daughter Janelle) to fetch the forbidden candy on the top shelf of the cabinet. 

Yet each of my daughters and now Marcus are married.  As one author fittingly stated: It’s only a snap of the finger from diapers to tuxedos and wedding gowns.

In Holy Scripture we find David and Job comparing the span of our lives to a breath (Ps. 144:4; Job 7:7). A breath takes only a second or two! At least Moses gave us a little more time when he likened the length of our days to grass that lasts from morning to evening (Ps. 90:5,6). Even still—a half day is not very long!

Now if our lifespan is comparable to about 12 hours that means the seasons of our lives are only minutes long. Think about that. Whether you are a teenager, a single adult, a new bride, a mom with preschool children, an empty nester, or whatever your season—you have only a few minutes left before this season ends.

The problem is that sometimes we get so bogged down with daily life that we forget life is passing quickly. In fact many of us function as if our present season is going to last forever. 

John Calvin has a word for us in this regard.  He said:

“Whence proceeds the great stupidity of men, who, bound fast to the present state of existence, proceed in the affairs of life as if they were to live two thousand years…. In short, men are so dull as to think that thirty years, or even a smaller number, are, as it were, an eternity; nor are they impressed with the brevity of their life so long as this world keeps possession of their thoughts…. How speedily our life vanishes away.  The imagination that we shall have long life, resembles a profound sleep in which we are all benumbed.”

John Calvin, Heart Aflame, (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1999), 219.

Let’s “wake up” to the fact that we have only a short time left in our present season.  More importantly, let’s live as if we have just a few minutes remaining.

So Much to Do

“What do I do when there is so much that needs doing?” It’s a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately in the midst of the countless chores that come with moving.

My mom passed along some practical advice that she heard Elisabeth Elliot share many years ago—advice that really helped her in the busyness of motherhood (or anything else for that matter).

It’s simply this: Do the next thing.  Rather than being overwhelmed by all there is to do, rather than sitting still in self-pity, or frantically trying to do three things at once—draw upon God’s grace to simply do the next thing. 

Here is a little part of the poem from which this advice was taken:

“Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here. 
Moment my moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, guidance, are given.
Fear not tomorrows, Child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus, ‘DO THE NEXT THING.’
Do it immediately; do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His Hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ’neath His wing,
Leave all resultings, ‘DO THE NEXT THING.’”
                                                                   --author unknown

Now that I have completed this post, I’m off to do the next thing—unpack one more box!

Message Link

Hey all.  Just in case you were wondering, the audio message that I mentioned in my last post ("In Every Season of Life") can be found by clicking here.

Personal Retreat

Yesterday, Mom encouraged us to run our race for the glory of God (Heb. 12:1-2). One key aspect of running the race is to live intentionally. And a simple, yet important way we can put this into practice is by regularly taking a personal retreat.

This is an exercise that Mom has helped me to develop, and it has served me greatly in every season of my life—from high school years, to single days, and now in my marriage. In her audio message “In Every Season” Mom speaks about living intentionally from Ephesians 5:15-17, and provides practical suggestions for taking a personal retreat.

We use this message in the discipleship course we developed for the single women in our church. In addition we provide worksheets for the women to use when taking a retreat. You can download the worksheets for your own personal use by clicking here.

I would encourage you to carve out time for a personal retreat. It may be only for a day, or you may even be able to swing an overnight. But the most important part is finding a place to have extended, uninterrupted time seeking the Lord. Ask for His grace and guidance to live intentionally for His glory.

Running the Race

My friend Sandra Groveman asked how she could pray for me. "You know that this is a season of transition for C.J. and me," I began. Yes, she knew. As a member of Covenant Life Church, Sandra was present on that Sunday morning last September when my husband passed the leadership of the church--the church he had lead for twenty-seven years--to the man he had trained to replace him (our new senior pastor, Joshua Harris). It was a day full of joy and one I will never forget. It was also the beginning of another chapter in our lives.

"So in light of this new season," I told Sandra, "please pray for wisdom to know God's will. And most of all...grace to walk humbly before our God and finish our race well."

"Of course I will pray for you," Sandra replied. I'm confident she will. She always does. Then Sandra told me a story:

"When I was a little girl my father would lead me and my nine brothers and sisters in long talks over dinner--talks that left an indelible mark on my life. I still remember sitting at the table, stealing glances out the window, watching my friends play and the sun set, as my father dispensed wisdom about life-issues. These conversations could last up to three hours. It was at one of these dinners that he shared a piece of advice I'll never forget. He was a runner. And he told us: 'a good runner, he always saves his best stamina for the end of the race.''"

My son-in-law Steve, who ran track in high school, explained this to me in greater detail. "As you approach the finish line, that's when you run with everything you've got. The idea is to finish the race with nothing left."

Last month I turned fifty. I am finishing many tasks. I am seeking to discern what new tasks God would have me take up.  And this is my prayer...that God would help me, now, to give Him my best effort. That I wouldn't be tempted to slow down or stop to rest, but continue to run with everything I've got. And that one day, when my race is over, I would truly finish with nothing left. Because of His perserving grace, I am confident God will answer my prayer.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, 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, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

Thank You Luncheon

On Sunday, I hosted a luncheon for twelve women in my church (Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, MD) who have faithfully and sacrificially served in the Titus 2 Women’s Ministry that I have been privileged to lead. The purpose of this luncheon was to say “thank you.” 

There was no way that the food, the gifts, or my words could adequately convey my gratitude—or more importantly, the Lord’s pleasure—for their service. However, I made a feeble attempt to express my heart. While seated around my dining room table, I shared with each woman one phrase (which I then elaborated on) that I thought best captured her unique contribution. 

For example, to Barbara I communicated: You beautify everything you touch; to Dawn: Your heart for hospitality is only matched by the delicious food you serve; to Clara: Your wit and wisdom are priceless gifts to me; to Betsy: You are my Barnabas, my faithful encourager; to Marie: You are a servant of servants, and so on.

As I was reflecting on each woman, I was struck by the diverse—yet indispensable—assortment of gifts represented in this one group.  How kind of God to give gifts! How kind of these women to use their gifts for God’s glory!

I couldn’t help but think of 1 Peter 4:10-11: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace….in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”

May I present you with 3 simple challenges?

1.  Remember that you have been given a gift by God.
2.  Ask God how you can use your gift to serve others in your local church. (Of course there may be limitations if you are "in the middle of motherhood.")
3.  Don’t let this day end without thanking someone close to you for using their God-given gifts to serve others and glorify God.

Interruptions

I wanted to get up early, but C.J. encouraged me to stay in bed a little longer. I had been up quite late the night before. He thought I needed a little more sleep.

By the time I arose, the demands of the day came rushing at me in rapid succession. There was breakfast to fix. Conversations to have. The unexpected phone call. Family members to shuttle from point A to point B. One interruption after another.

It was 10:00 a.m. and I still hadn’t taken a shower, much less made progress on my to-do list. I was struggling. This wasn’t the way my morning was supposed to go. I wasn’t completing the tasks I thought were most important. Peace and joy had vanished.

Then I recalled this perspective-altering thought from C.S. Lewis:

“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own,’ or ‘real’ life.  The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life—the life God is sending one day by day; what one calls one’s ‘real life’ is a phantom of one’s own imagination.  This at least is what I see at moments of insight: but it’s hard to remember it all the time.”

—The Letters of C. S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves (20 December 1943), para. 5, p. 499; quoted in The Quotable Lewis, (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 1989), 335.

It is hard to remember. But what a difference it made when I called to mind this biblical truth.

All these interruptions—they weren’t interruptions after all. They were “sovereign deliveries.”  These “unpleasant things” were God’s perfect plan for my day.

Contemplating this bit of wisdom brought a smile to my face. And from that moment on, I met each subsequent “interruption” with joy. The shower could wait.

My prayer is that, next time, God will help me to remember this truth. Because Mr. Lewis was right. It’s easy to forget.

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24