I read the following quote on facebook this afternoon. It is from one of my favorite authors - A.W. Tozer. It caught me off guard and it kinda "heart-checked" me (similar to a body-check). It left me in a bit of a reflective mood...so I thought I would share. Here ya go:
“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, ‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.’ Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.” ― A.W. Tozer
May we ever be satisfied in His grace, and may the only beckoning our souls respond to be that of our Maker.
-ZB
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Discipline....the other "D" word
I've never been one to call myself a blogger, and as I look at my blogging history, it is pretty apparent that I am not exactly consistent. Even this past month, as I fought to get focused and blog more during the season of lent, I found it difficult to buckle down (as is evident by my lack of blogs).
But isn't that the way it is with any discipline?...Whether it is exercise, heathly eating, or just trying to learn a new skill, I have such a hard time slowing down my world long enough to actually integrate any new habit into my schedule. Who's with me?! We buck the word discipline - we want to live our lives free of commitments, schedules, and deadlines - right?!
I was reading the book "Spiritual Leadership" by Henry and Richard Blackaby last night and was challenged as the authors wrote about a leader's time management. Their bottom line was this, "Good leaders know when to say 'no.'" I may be the only person that struggles with the "Yes Man" disease, but I can't seem to say "no" to anything, and according to this book, it's a pride issue. My desire to have my hand in absolutely everything means one of two things.
1) I'm just that ignorantly kind-hearted and want to give give give of myself until there is nothing left. 2) I don't think it(the event, the lesson, the organization) will be as good without me.
Neither one of those options seem very attractive to me, but truth be told, there is a goodness of my heart in the desire to be involved, but I would be lying if I told you #2 wasn't a reality as well. I've always prided myself in how little sleep I can run on, how much energy I have, and how many hats I can wear at one time....however, that often results in me getting attention, praise, and honor and very little of that getting passed on to who really deserves it.
Jesus was a man who knew how to set boundaries. He knew when to teach, when to be in public, and when to retreat into the wilderness and be alone with His Father. It was all about priorities. He knew he was nothing apart from His father. I need that same awareness.
I need to know when to say no, when to retreat, and when to slow down and even when to blog. Even in the past 15 minutes as I've sat here at my computer and typed all this out...I feel like it's begining to sink in. As I move forward toward Easter, I praise God that his love for me is not based on my performance or my ability to blog consistently....
I'm a son of the King, and that is a truth I can rest in.
But isn't that the way it is with any discipline?...Whether it is exercise, heathly eating, or just trying to learn a new skill, I have such a hard time slowing down my world long enough to actually integrate any new habit into my schedule. Who's with me?! We buck the word discipline - we want to live our lives free of commitments, schedules, and deadlines - right?!
I was reading the book "Spiritual Leadership" by Henry and Richard Blackaby last night and was challenged as the authors wrote about a leader's time management. Their bottom line was this, "Good leaders know when to say 'no.'" I may be the only person that struggles with the "Yes Man" disease, but I can't seem to say "no" to anything, and according to this book, it's a pride issue. My desire to have my hand in absolutely everything means one of two things.
1) I'm just that ignorantly kind-hearted and want to give give give of myself until there is nothing left. 2) I don't think it(the event, the lesson, the organization) will be as good without me.
Neither one of those options seem very attractive to me, but truth be told, there is a goodness of my heart in the desire to be involved, but I would be lying if I told you #2 wasn't a reality as well. I've always prided myself in how little sleep I can run on, how much energy I have, and how many hats I can wear at one time....however, that often results in me getting attention, praise, and honor and very little of that getting passed on to who really deserves it.
Jesus was a man who knew how to set boundaries. He knew when to teach, when to be in public, and when to retreat into the wilderness and be alone with His Father. It was all about priorities. He knew he was nothing apart from His father. I need that same awareness.
I need to know when to say no, when to retreat, and when to slow down and even when to blog. Even in the past 15 minutes as I've sat here at my computer and typed all this out...I feel like it's begining to sink in. As I move forward toward Easter, I praise God that his love for me is not based on my performance or my ability to blog consistently....
I'm a son of the King, and that is a truth I can rest in.
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