lists

Check.

I am a list making – big note taking – kinda gal. I think it’s a good habit. It keeps me organized and productive – nothing wrong with that. And nothing makes me feel more accomplished than seeing those little checks all up and down my paper.

However, I have to be very careful not to make every single thing in my life merely a check mark.

Most importantly:

God is not a check mark. God is not a Bible study.

God is not a praise and worship service.

God is not Sunday morning church.

God is God.

He is a relationship.

And when you’re in a relationship you work at it – because you want to. Not because you have to.

Don’t just study the Bible to check it off your list. Study the Bible because you are so in love with God that you want to learn everything about Him that you can.

Don’t just go to church on Sunday morning because that’s how you were raised. Go to church on Sunday morning because you get to. Because you want to see God. Because you want to fellowship with other believers. Because you want to soak in every bit of God that you can.

God is not a check mark. Don’t make Him into one.

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27

I’m Learning

I’m trying to be more spontaneous. Monday when I got home from work I cleaned my bathroom floors. I know, right! Pretty crazy. Usually I only do that on Saturdays. As you can tell I’m really shaking things up.

The thing is I am such a rigid, routined person I can easily get caught up in my to-do list and miss out on what’s happening right in front of my face.

There’s nothing wrong with having a list – with being routined. There is something wrong when that list totally dictates your life. There’s something wrong when YOUR routine trumps God’s WILL.

Sometimes we need to stop the checking off of the list and just look around us. We need to look beyond ourself and our checklist.

I’m learning that it’s ok to veer off the list sometimes. I’m learning that some things can wait. I’m trying to learn that I can in fact grocery shop on a different day of the week.

I’m learning.

I hope you are, too

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21