Down to the Heart
You know what? It’s so so easy to get discouraged by criticism… or by the fog that loves to sit on top of Lookout… or by getting a low grade on a quiz. It’s easy to look at the downsides to life. You know what I mean?
Steve commented on my last post “Aimless.” He asked me if the fog or just being on top of a mountain discouraged or depressed me at all. I’m not going to lie, if I focused on that… it would depress me. It’s down right hard waking up to the sound of your alarm clock at 7:00 in the morning and having to walk up to class when it’s cold and foggy outside. But hey! Look at the bright side …at least I don’t have to wake up at 5:00. :)
But seriously, it’s really easy to focus on the downsides to everyday life. I’m guilty as anyone of doing that on a regular basis. But what good does it do? It doesn’t make me feel better… it doesn’t make the situation any better. In fact, it tends to make things worse.
I was sitting in church this past Sunday at Rock Creek Fellowship. It’s a smaller church on the back side of Lookout where i’ve been going since last semester. It had been a hard week. Classes were busy, and things were starting to pick up. Not to mention a whole array of other things that had been on my mind. As I was sitting there, Pastor Eric began to talk about storing up your treasures in Heaven and not on earth.
Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Though I had to stretch to really make the connection… (to be honest, I can’t really remember my train of thought or where it was going), I just started thinking about everything that was going wrong. I realized that I was focusing on the discouragements, the downsides, and the hardships. I was storing up my treasures on earth, so to speak… I was focusing on things that wouldn’t last and that didn’t matter in light of eternity.
As I sat there, I pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. I remembered what my mom told me to do over Christmas break. She told me to take some time to just sit down and write down everything that I was thankful for… from family, to friends, to a good education, to daily needs, to the walk that I had with a friend, to the bike rides I had with my little brothers… I sat there and just wrote. I got a full two pages of writing before the end of the service. When I got back to the room, I pinned the list to the side of my desk.
When it comes down to the heart of things, stop and think about what you have to be thankful for. It’s easy to point out what’s not going your way. As I said, i’m guilty as anyone. But God has been showing me that if I take the time to thank Him for what He daily provides for me, He will bless my attitude… and just my daily walk through life.
It’s a conscious decision I have to make every morning when I wake up. But I can start each day with remembering that God gave me that new day. I was talking with a friend earlier today …and we were just talking about how when we wake up in the morning, it’s like God saying, “I decided to let you live and breathe another day.” I forget that… I forget that each new day that I wake up to is a day that God decided to give back to me. I could focus on the cold, the earliness, the annoying sound of my alarm clock… or I could thank God for another day.
So here and now, “God, I thank you for another day.”
Published on 25 Jan 2007 at 3:20 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under Thoughts.
the fact that god gives us another day that isnt promised to us…is incredible. hope to go grab some greyfriar’s with you soon and just talk about jesus and life, friend! :o)
Olivia on 25 Jan 2007 at 3:39 pm.