Choices seem to confront us on such a superficial level all day long: what to wear, where to go to lunch, who to talk to, who not to talk to, what shoes to buy? Decaf or regular coffee? Do we take a second look at someone as they walk past (or not)? All the time we're deciding what part of our sensory and/or audio-visual input we actually want to pay attention to.. it can be a tad bit frustrating and also incredibly distracting on many levels. Personally, I find it very frustrating. So many of the things I allow myself to get distracted by, really have minor significance in the long run. I honestly wish that we weren't all so easily distracted by the minor things in life... Kurt Cobain is well known for saying that he wanted to "live fast and die young". So much of our Western culture reflects this mentality. We have little next to no interest in longevity, meaningfulness, purpose or destiny. We're so concerned with the consumption of goods, products, relationships and experiences.. we miss the point of life. If we can keep making superficial and distracting (yet very well thought out) decisions about where to shop and what to do with our spare time - we can forever ignore the picture God sees and the relationship He is longing to have with us. We miss it all and we've got no one to blame but ourselves.
I don't know about you, but I don't want the status-quo for my life. I want so much more than the next "best" thing on the never-ending list of "next best things", I want so much more than hip friends, cool clothes and a solid playlist to listen to. With my whole heart I know that God is calling all of humanity into deeper relationship with Himself. He is calling us to a relationship truer, more intimate and fulfilling than anything many of us are willing to engage in. What is it about engaging that scares us? The definition of engaging/to engage is: to occupy the attention or efforts of, to secure for aid, employment, use, etc; hire, to attract and hold fast, to attract or please, to bind, as by pledge, promise, contract, or oath, make liable, to betroth, enter into conflict with, interlock with, to attach or secure, to occupy oneself, to become involved, to engage in business or politics, to take employment, to pledge one's word; assume an obligation. The way I view engaging is this: it requires an investment on the part(s) of the one(s) who engage(s). The wonderful thing we all know about investments is that there is RISK involved. It also means it will inevitably COST us something.
What if we just engaged with God? What if we actually invested/devoted ourselves to knowing Gods' plan for our lives, His heart towards the people in our lives and His purpose for why we're here on this earth? I know most of us would be scared out of our minds if we actually listened to what He has to say, that's for sure. But it is so worth it to invest in what He has - because it honestly is the BEST for us. Psalm 63:3 says that His love is better than life. Jesus said that "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). The thief He refers to is the enemy, but I believe that we ourselves can cheat and steal from ourselves by being so distracted and disengaged. If you know God has something for you - He's told you about it, it's on the radar, I want to ask you one question: How are you treating it? How do you hold it? Do you clutch onto it or hold it loosely? Do you stick it in the corner of the top shelf of the closet of your heart that you plan on never going into again? How do you view what God have given you or shown to you? Just being honest about the perspective you have of the things God has given you is the first step to knowing your true heart regarding the things of God.
The next thing I've been thinking about is this: Even an awesome, amazing gift God wants you to invest in, if treated like it's worthless, will eventually become worthless, meaningless and definitely less than the best. How we treat what God gives to us and imparts to us is so important. The things He gives are the best - they are SO incredibly precious.. I have to remind myself of this a lot because it's my nature to disregard the holy or that which is "set apart" as I often will naturally gravitate towards the superficial and meaningless. This angers me sometimes and I get very mad at myself. I find myself screaming internally, "GOD - WHY CAN'T I JUST BE HOLY LIKE YOU ARE HOLY? WHY CAN'T I JUST BE 100% ON BOARD WITH EVERYTHING YOU WANT?" He has so much more grace for my impatience with my own process than I do.. but it is nonetheless discouraging at times. I fight. And. lose. All. The. Time. When it comes down to the wire - I want what He wants and I'm willing to go there with Him. I'm willing to engage with Him.. but do I fight it? Yes. I do. Do I want to be at the place where I don't fight Him? Yes, so much. But it's a process.. and today, I had it on my heart to write it out.
I truly feel challenged in the areas of engaging and investing lately; I also feel blessed in them. God is encouraging me to ask more questions and to seek His face more for answers instead of just being satisfied with what I perceive to be silence. So often, there is something in my life that clouds my eyes and deafens my ears to what is actually being shown and said to me. So I ask Jesus - help me see what You see, help me hear what You hear, show me.. I want to know.. The coolest thing ever is when His answer is exceedingly more surprising and satisfying than anything I could've expected! It's AWESOME!!!!
So I encourage you to give it a try! Ask God something you've been too scared or too busy to ask Him.. expect to be surprised! I hope and pray that you would discover Gods' love for you and His plan for your life. To know what it is to actually engage in a conversation with Him is SO AMAZING! The word of God says that if we're hungry and thirsty for righteousness, we will be filled (Matthew 5:6). He has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11) so go find it by finding Him! Find out what you're missing. Don't settle for the superficial. I encourage you to go deep, and seek out the heart of the One who truly loves you. <3
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