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I read a really interesting blog post from a fellow bloggee over at Simply Alicia and thought I'd share with you!
Hope this blesses you as it did me!
xxxL
More
"More." That word has been coming to mind a lot lately.
It first came up while I was reading "Kisses from Katie."
I have to say that this book has changed my life, seriously! The book
appears to be about Katie Davis' journey from upper middle class America
to Uganda where she is now the mother to 13 Ugandan girls, but really
that's not what it's about at all. It's about God's providence, it's
about being in God's will, it's about not striving to be comfortable but
to serve God and above all else to bring Him glory. Here's a 4 minute
video of her story. Really, you should watch it!
As a stay-at-home-mom I am busy, as I'm sure you are. We have our daily
chores, errands, Bible studies, teaching our kids, cooking up to 3 meals
a day. We are busy! But really how busy are we and what are we busy
doing? Katie brought up a great point that I have mulled over the past
few weeks. I'll paraphrase to say this, we are not called by God to live
a life of mediocrity and abundance, holding on tight to our comfortable
lifestyle. (paraphrased from page 100) God doesn't call us to be
comfortable, nor does he put value on being comfortable. Can you think
of one person in the Bible who did a mighty work for God while he/she
was comfortable? I can think of David who, while he was comfortable,
committed adultery with Bathsheba which eventually led to him murdering
her husband! I'm not saying that being comfortable will lead us to sin,
but what I am saying is that we strive to be comfortable and to make the
lives of our children comfortable. Whether you are living paycheck to
paycheck or you have are living financially comfortably, we, myself
included, strive to be comfortable.
When's the last time that you gave til hurt? I'm not just talking money,
I'm talking time, energy, resources. When's the last time you gave to
make a difference in someone's life? When's the last time you chose to
be uncomfortable in some way so that you could be God's hands and feet? I
know that when I started asking myself, I couldn't really come up with
anything.
"I'm just so busy", I've said it plenty of times. But as I think about
this more I think, "What if I did some things that weren't for the sake
of comfort. What if in doing those things, my carpets get vacuumed a day
later than usual or some dirty dishes are left by the sink or
Makenzie's toys stay strewn across her bedroom floor. Will clean dishes
in my cupboard do anything for the kingdom of God?"
Please don't read this and think that I am saying that caring for our
families and our homes is not working for the kingdom because it is,
much of Proverbs 31 is all about taking care of your home, husbands
& children but there is more to it, while she cares for her family
in ALL aspects and for her home and her servants, she also "...opens her
arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy." (Proverbs 31:20)
Katie Davis writes, "...sometimes [God] calls us to reach a little
higher or to stretch a little further, even when we feel we can't do any
more. We simply trust Him. And then, He gives us everything we need to
do the "more" that He is asking of us."
Hi Blogville!
Have you ever asked God for more? I know it sounds crazy in our busy
lives but do you ever sit at Jesus' feet and ask Him what "more" you can
do? Maybe the more He wants you to do is just reaching out to the new
mom across the street. Maybe it's ministering to your hubby by putting
special notes in his lunch. Maybe it's planning special activities for
your kids. Maybe the more is volunteering at a local homeless shelter or
getting involved in a ministry at your church. Doing more isn't about
making our schedules more busy, it's about prioritizing our lives, doing
what God wants us to be doing and following Mark 16:15, "Go into all
the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." May God show
us all what "more" we can do for Him.