After a much needed siesta, I am returning to the bloggy world this month to do 31 days of writing, reflecting, and connecting. The Nester has inspired me to pick a topic and run with it for 31 days....so here goes!
The only rule I have for myself: Don't obsess over this. REALLY. If you know me personally, you may understand. This, perhaps, could be my biggest challenge of the month. We'll see...
While I've been reflecting on the theme of "rest" this year, one more word keeps flickering on and off in my mind. That word is "LIFE." I've dwelled on the source of life, wondered what feeds my life, and asked God to show me what is truly life giving.
The problem? I'm sadly undisciplined and too easily fall back into old, unhealthy, and sometimes even deadly patterns of thinking and doing. I know I have been given new life in Jesus, but quite honestly too many days I feel like I am walking around half alive. You know, kind of like a zombie. Ready for a word picture? If you can't stomach zombie images, scroll down FAST! {I tried to find something that even I could handle...it was hard!}
Ready??
Really ready??
Okay, take a deep breath and then scroll down fast!
OKAY! Scroll, scroll, scroll!! I can't even take this....
No, this is not me on Monday mornings.
No, it's not me any morning before I've had my first cup of coffee. {well, then again...}
And no, it's not me after going into my children's rooms and finding dirty clothes stuffed back into their dressers...oh and not to mention plenty of clean clothes laying in a heap in the middle of their floors amidst a plethora of candy wrappers. Ahem...
No, if I'm honest, it's how I walk around many days--living as a "Zombie Christian."
New term? {I need to thank our local pastor for coining the phrase yesterday during worship. Yes, it woke me--and probably many others--up from our sleepy morning prayers.}
I know I have been given new life in Christ, but is this the LIFE that He wants for me? Am I returning to walk down deadly paths that just leave me hurting, hurting others, and experiencing something sub-human? Am I really a Zombie Christian? Am I living the full, abundant LIFE Jesus wants for me? Really? And what has God created to be life giving for me?
So today, I'm thinking about LIFE.
God, the giver of life, challenged the people of Israel years ago. His people, whom He dearly loved and treasured. I heard His challenge to me, too, in this. Do you hear it, too?
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:15-19
Choose LIFE. Today, I'm choosing living, not as a half-dead, half-alive zombie, but living more fully as Jesus intends for me.
Tomorrow, I'll get to the {HEALTHY} part...
Stay tuned.
{And drink a strong cup of coffee now quickly this morning to ward off all zombie-like tendencies!}
Here's how the 31 Day Challenge works. I'll post everyday and then link up here so you don't miss it all. It's your one stop shop to hearing how God is working in my life during these 31 Days of {Healthy} Living. I hope you'll join me!
Day 1...Day 2...Day 3...Day 4...Day 5...Day 6...Day 7...Day 8...Day 9...Day 10...Day 11...
Day 12...Day 13...Day 14...Day 15...Day 16...Day 17...Day 18...Day 19...Day 20...Day 21...
Day 22...Day 23...Day 24...Day 25...Day 26...Day 27...Day 28...Day 29...Day 30...Day 31
2 comments:
I am getting my coffee right now! Thanks for writing this, you are not alone - we can all feel that way!
Very encouraging Kara. I hear the love in God's voice when he says in that scripture, "Choose life!" and I love that he continues, "that you and your offspring may live". I feel like my life is so boring lately. Same o' same o', day in and day out. I'm bored and I'm hungry and I don't know what to do about it. I'm asking God for help. He is my help. He is my adventure. Or so, I need reminding. Sigh...
Can't wait to read! Thanks for doing this!
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