our blog
Feb
Arranging Your Life For Growth
Whether we realize it or not, many of us spend our lives as orchestra conductors. We try our hardest to make all these random pieces of life come together to make beautiful, balanced music. Yet, before we know it, the percussion misses its queue by coming in to soon, and we quickly realize they can’t keep a beat. Their rhythm is off, and it causes all the other instruments to speed up: dance recital for your daughter, big proposal for the new client, picking your son up from football practice, quality time with your wife, bills that need to be paid, chores around the house, etc.
Rather than living life intentionally, most people end up responding to whatever comes their way just hoping to survive. Our lives are filled with what amounts to be distractions simply because everything else is allowed priority in our lives. We raise our kids, run our businesses and go through our lives holding our breath, crossing our fingers and hoping that somehow in the busyness of it all we will grow into reflecting Christ’s heart. This simply will not happen by chance.
It has been said that your life is perfectly designed to produce the results you are getting. Like a well-oiled machine it achieves the characteristics and qualities you value. The way you orchestrate your life not only reflects what is important to you, but also shapes you into the person you are becoming. It makes sense that without any modifications to the status quo that the results at the end of the year will remain the same.
The question you must ask yourself is whether or not you are satisfied with the results that you are currently achieving? If the answer is no, then it might be time to do some life rearranging. The natural, normal pace of life won’t push you to spiritual formation. You will have to be intentional about creating margins for God to transform you through the lens of your one word.
The author of Psalm 119:5 knew that our natural direction was not towards God, which caused him to pray, “Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!” This is a prayer yearning for God to help influence the direction of his life by being intentional with the days he was given. Today is the day the Lord has given to you. What are you going to do with what you have been given – pursuing wisdom and arranging your life for growth or letting life direct your steps towards busyness? The choice is yours.
During the month of February, the My One Word blog will be devoted to this idea of arranging your life to grow. In order for life change to take root, it requires you to be intentional about your posture and the way you structure your days. The first step in this process is understanding where your priorities currently lay.
Questions & Exercises for Reflection
- Over the upcoming week, write out in detail how you spent each day in a planner (sleep, school/work, family, hobbies, television, volunteering, etc.). After coming to some conclusions about what you devote your time and energy towards, spend some time journaling your reflections on the following questions: (1) What currently composes and consumes your schedule, world and life? Is your One Word getting pushed to the side even though you say it is a priority? (2) In order to make your One Word form into your character, what will a typical day need to look like?
- SPIRITUAL, PHYSICAL, MENTAL/EMOTIONAL, PROFESSIONAL, RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY — this is a list of areas in life where you should consider establishing a discipline. Using this list, come up with a tangible way that you can exercise your One Word (i.e. spiritual – spend 15 minutes each day journaling). Establishing a discipline in these areas of your life is a practical way to begin a path towards growth using your word this year.
Are you looking for a way to keep your word in front of you all year long? Register for a My One Word account! One of the key features of a MOW account is an online Word Journal that allows you to capture your thoughts to reflective questions like you see above. You can go back at any time to read your completed journals to see how God has been moving in your life through your word in 2010. If you already have an account, the questions from this blog have been posted to your Word Journal — log in to your account to start your Word Journal today!
Feb
Remain Planted
Every four years I transform into the ultimate curling, bobsled and luge fan. It’s like clockwork. For those few weeks, I camp out on the couch and become completely engrossed in all things Winter Olympics. Sadly, this passion is always short lived as my interest in these sports completely disappears the moment the closing ceremony begins.
As proud as I am of my commitment level to watching sports, it pales into comparison to that of a Chicago businessman who recently broke a world record by watching televised sports for 72 hours consecutively. Yes, you read right. He sat in a recliner for 3 straight days tuned into a sporting event.
Other than achieving a little notoriety and feeling like a zombie due to his lack of shuteye, not much was gained from staying put in one place for hours on end. Yet, this doesn’t mean that sticking with something for an extended period of time is a worthless pursuit. Scripture paints a different picture about the benefits of being persistent in our pursuit of spiritual growth. Consider these words from Psalm 1:1-3:
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
The author uses the imagery of a tree to describe what takes place when we keep God’s word before us. Over time it begins to build deep roots in our heart and enables us to bear the fruit we were designed to produce. By arranging your life for growth through the lens of your One Word, you have put yourself in a position where God can go to work on you.
With only a few more hours left in February, we hope you take a moment to celebrate your growth and God’s faithfulness in the midst of the process. It is also our prayer that you would remain “planted” so you can continue to bear fruit as a result of letting the Holy Spirit work in you through your One Word.
Feb
On The Other Side
As the month of February comes to end, chances are good you have settled into a rhythm. New habits you have put into place are producing results and helping you live out your One Word. Yet, there are the those annoying patterns which continue to plague you. They cause you to wonder if lasting change will ever take place. Some times the resistance is so overwhelming you consider giving up and waving the white flag in surrender.
Weak legs that feel like Jell-O make you second guess if getting in shape is really worth the pain. The urges to grab a cigarette, the fridge handle or the television remote seem to be getting stronger. After the workday you just went through, putting someone’s needs before your own is the last thing you want to do. When the alarm clock goes off an hour earlier than usual, the natural reaction is to hit the snooze button rather than start off the day spending time with God.
All of us at some point in our lives have experienced the truth found in Hebrews 12:10-12:
10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.
Hitting a wall is inevitable during this journey towards inner change. Discipline comes when you manage to climb over the wall and continue along the path towards growth. Change comes only through sacrifice. Staying focused on the end result will help you struggle in the right direction. If you focus long enough, things are bound to change. Behaviors, which at one time hurt and felt awkward, become normal and natural responses.
This movement towards growth is fueled by the knowledge that something more valuable lays on the other side of the pain. Re-read the verse in Hebrews again. What does the author promise for those who endure? The byproduct of our faithfulness is a harvest of righteousness and peace. Let this promise of scripture sink in for a moment. The author says the result of your training will not be a little change, but rather something which will yield a huge return in your character. A type of transformation where people cannot help but take notice.
We’d love to hear your response to the following question: Have you hit a wall yet when it comes to living out your One Word? How did you respond to the wall? What enabled you to continue along the path towards growth?