You have what you need.

Lie Number Two: I don’t have what I need in order to serve God.  I don't have the "right" education, resources, time, training, experience, or reputation. I am the wrong age, color, gender, or ethnicity to make a difference. 

Oh boy, is this one of the most subtle lies out there? So often, we disqualify ourselves from a new adventure by repeating negative self-talk quietly inside our own minds. We have probably done this to ourselves for so many years that we are not even aware we are doing it any longer.  How many great adventures, ideas, and projects have been left undone because we disqualify ourselves because we think we NEED something more in order to get started? How easy it is to find an excuse, like our lack of experience or absence of a special skill set, and we don't even begin to dream of what could be. 

You have what you need to love and thrive right where you are.  Believe this truth. If you find yourself repeating the old, worn out negative statements that you carry around like a purse whose stitching is coming unravelled... remind yourself that 'A soothing tongue is a tree of life' (Proverbs 15:4). Only speak to yourself in a way that you would speak to a dear friend or child, with truth, love, and encouragement.

When you are tempted to believe that you don't have what it takes to follow God's direction in your life, remember this video clip. 

The Lie of Busy

If someone had copyrighted the word "Busy" about 15 years ago, they would be a millionaire many times over by now.  "Busy" has become a badge of honor and a word that we say so often that we no longer think that there is another way to exist.

Busy is the new "Fine". If we ask someone how they are doing, instead of hearing, "Great," or "I've been a little under the weather lately," we have come to expect the response: "Busy."  We no longer respond to the question and share how we are doing, we respond with what we are doing. 

Could it be that we are cramming too many things into our calendar and piling too much on our plate in an effort to conform to the norm? The norm that is based upon the lie that God did not give us enough time to do all that we are supposed to do in one day. There is another way.  

When we are busy, our prayer life suffers. With prayer, we can find stillness, peace, increased health, and a deeper understanding of the things that should take priority in our day. Without prayer, we are stressed, bitter, sick, and distracted.

Over the past 10 years, the most common thing I hear from women is that they are too busy to pray.  If this was the lie that struck you from the last blog post, you are in good company.  Many of us have a lot that we are managing and at times it is overwhelming. I know, I struggle with a too full calendar many days, also. We want to make other people happy, we don't want to disappoint anyone-- so we agree to add one more thing to our already overwhelmed day. But, when we believe the lie that Busy is Best, we compromise a part of ourselves. 

So what if the person that you are disappointing most in your day is not a family member or friend, but God, the One who created you out of love? He is longing for you to take just a moment away from "busy" to be with Him and allow Him to love you. Scripture tells us that God is waiting to be found: "He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and He fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for Him and find Him, though indeed He is not far from any one of us." Act 17:26-27. It is easy to busy ourselves with all of the details of the day when we think that God is too far off and removed from the details of our lives. This is not the truth. 

Breathe deeply and remember that "even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows." (Luke 12:7) You are so deeply loved, take time to respond to the One who loves you most. The easiest way to respond, is with a moment of prayer, Prayer does not have to be long or complicated, just a simple lifting of your heart to God in love. 

Here are some ideas for adding prayer to an already "too busy" calendar: 

1. Before responding to a text on your phone, say the short prayer: Jesus, I trust in you. 

2. Before opening your computer for the day, offer your work to God and thank Him for the opportunity to serve Him through your work. Place a tangible reminder of His love near your workspace (whether this is your desk, kitchen counter, driver's seat, or the laundry room).

3. Sit still for 3 minutes each day for one week and allow yourself to be loved by God.  Ponder these words from Psalm 27: "One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek; to dwell in the Lord's house all the days of my life. To gaze on the Lord's beauty, to visit His temple." (verse 4)

If you have any other ideas about defeating the Lie of Busy, please share them in the Comments below. Thanks!

Thought for the day

When our Lord sees a soul seeking the things of the Spirit

with great desire and earnest zeal,

He bestows on it His graces in abundance.   

St. John Chrysostom