It has been a long time since I
have blogged. I have struggled with the
balance of working, while trying to keep a house in sensible order, and still
maintain good relationships with my family by finding time to spend with my
husband and children. Quite a juggling
act, I’ll have to admit. There has been more than one time in the last few
months that I’ve lost balance with the whole thing and all the balls have
crashed down. My juggling act has, on
many occasions, become quite a mess; time to refocus. That is where I find myself tonight. My body thinks it is still on the night
shift, so although I’m not at work tonight, I’m wide awake after a couple hours
sleep.
At the small group my husband and
I attend from our church, we have been doing a study series by Bill Hybels
called Just Walk Across the Room. The focus of our most recent study was on
telling our faith story. There a
tendency to lose sight of the big picture when telling our faith story. Often, stories are long winded, unfocused, and
really not clear. Rather than inviting
people to explore faith, our stories can make them want to run from any
association with faith. We all laughed
at the rather humorous way the examples of ‘bad stories’ were presented. I
found I could identify and had been on the receiving end of many a bad story, myself,
while others have had to listen to my bad story. How do we share our stories well? What makes
a good faith story? Each faith story is basically
the same. There is our life without
Jesus, our decision to follow Jesus, and our life after Jesus. Put in those simple terms, it really forces
you to focus on what your life was without Christ, and what it has become
because of Christ.
It is good to revisit your faith
story on a daily basis. Not necessarily wallowing in what was before Christ,
but refocusing on what life has become because of Christ. Lately, I’m not sure my life is a glowing
example of “becoming”. It can be a
little closer to “hit or miss” and “sink or swim”. Getting a grasp on what my life has become because
of Christ is also helping me come to terms with other questions that I have
lost sight of in the rush of busyness. What are my priorities? What is my
purpose? It is good to remember from where
you have come, to help you focus on where you are going. Tonight while reading
my Bible a passage really reached out and grabbed me. In Acts 16:22-36 in the conversation between Paul,
Silas, and the jailer, the jailer asked “Sirs, what do I have to do to be
saved, to really live?” They said, “Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus,
then you’ll live as you were meant to live – and everyone in your house
included!” MSG
Beautiful, isn’t it? “Live as you were meant
to live”; It makes me realise this is not the life
Christ has called me to, or better said I’m not living my life the way Christ
has called me to live it. He has given
me this life, my family, my job, and He calls me to live it the way I am meant
to live. Not my messy style, but with a
clear focus on Him, putting my entire trust in the Master Jesus. Relieving, isn’t it, so much simpler and
meaningful.
I don’t remember much of my life
before Christ. I was raised in a home where
I was taught about faith from my earliest memory. When I was about five years old I knelt at
the couch in our front room with my Mom and we prayed together because I had
decided to follow Jesus. Although I was
very young, I distinctly remember the instant feeling of freedom and guiltlessness
I experienced. It was like a load had
been lifted. When I was fourteen I began
to understand that following Jesus was not about following rules, but having a relationship
with God who wants to be intimately involved in my life. I am still learning about God’s grace, I can’t
and don’t have to earn my salvation; it has never been my job. That job belongs to Jesus, He paid it all. I am learning to trust Him more and more.
Help me to put my entire trust in you, Master
Jesus, then I will live as I was meant to live.
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