Has God ever asked you to give up anything in your life? I know He's asked me. Giving up on anything is difficult, especially when you feel like you've invested love and energy into what God is asking you to step away from.
I was the member of a website full of supportive, intelligent moms. For several years I logged in daily. I'd have my daughters watch a cartoon so I could catch up on so and so's operation and read about Ms. girlfriend's current marital problems. A modern age soap opera. Not to mention, I could lay my own problems out there for these wise women to help me figure out. Any time I had a situation, I would turn to my website. Fully knowing God would have the answer...but feeling "the ladies" online could answer it more quickly. I know, I know.....*insert eyeroll*.
I dove so deeply into these women's lives. Women I'd never met. Meanwhile, giving less attention to my own life and the one's around me in flesh and blood.
Ever so gently and slowly, God weened me away from that website. I pulled and whined at every corner, for months and months. "These are my friends God! Why does it matter? What harm is it doing?" And when you ask God, He'll show you. He gave me a task. Stay off the website for one week (If I chose). I did. When the week was up, I realized how much more time I had to get things done. And my oldest daughter said, "Mom, we see you so much more now!" Yikes! Reality check. Still, God wasn't done.
I decided to wait another week. Two weeks had gone by since I'd contacted my internet friends (that truly needed my guidance and presence daily, mind you.) Two weeks, and not one of them had noticed I was gone. I stayed away longer, same result.
Kindly, God was showing me, this wasn't my family. This wasn't where my time and attention was supposed to be focused. God helped me see clearly and shut a door. It wasn't a bad place, it just wasn't the best God had planned for my life.
We simply have to trust God's plan. Sometimes we have to surrender something that seems good, to gain something much better.
What have I gained, you may ask? More family time. A cleaner home. Less stress and unneccessary drama. A closer walk with God.
So, maybe it's time to ask yourself (better yet, ask God);
What is it I have to give up, so I can gain?
Excellent blog, but better than that, excellent advice. I understand exactly what you experienced--and have had similar experiences.
ReplyDeleteWhen my children were young I was extremely involved in volunteer work--which is a worthy effort. I never said no to anything, because, after all, I was a stay-at-home mom. My husband and I had chosen to make huge sacrifices in order for me to not bring in an income.
One day the kids were coming home from school as I was taking a cake out of the oven, and one of them asked, "Who died?" I baked so much for funerals and shut-ins that it was just assumed the cake was going somewhere. It wasn't, but it was a wake-up call.
We weren't making those sacrifices so I could organize wedding receptions and funeral dinners, we were making them so I could be there for the kids and spend quality time with them.
I learned how to say no. And I've gotten pretty good at it.