priorities.
look out world, 2 days in a row!
Lately I’ve been thinking and praying a lot about what I want my life to reflect. I feel like it is so, so easy to get caught up in wanting the newest and best, having the coolest clothes and gadgets, what restaurants you eat at, where you live, what you drive…etc…you get the point. (And just to preface, this is not going to be a blog about selling all of your stuff or never buying anything again!) Our society encourages consumerism. It’s all we see and hear about!
I was talking with my sister this weekend and she was saying in her Bible study they were talking about how we all have a “wall” in front of us that makes up who we are. Our careers, families, home, life, hobbies, everything that defines us. Not saying these are bad things, but they definitely can be. Are your kids your obsession? Are you chasing a career goal so that you can have a lot of money to do this and this and this? Is your house a trophy to you? You get the point. But as I said, these are also good thing. A solid career that you enjoy and uses the talents God gives you. An amazing family that you love and nurture. A home that is open to others and serving the community.
So, this is our wall, it’s what defines. The challenge as believers is not letting ANY of those things define us or be what someone sees when they look at us, but replacing those “bricks” with Christ. So that when someone looks at you they don’t see your accomplishments, but they automatically see a reflection of Christ. That sounds like a pretty lofty task to me. How to we listen to the urging of the Holy Spirit to put ourselves and our desires aside and fill ourselves with what we were fully created to do – love and serve the Lord. What is standing in the way?
I know for me a lot of things are standing in the way. One of the biggest things I have been “convicted” of lately is what I put into my mind. I absolutely *love* reality TV. Bravo is my favorite channel and the Real Housewives are my TV BFFs. I love the Bachelor. If it’s reality (besides Jersey Shore…), I probably watch it. This season I made the decision NOT to watch the Bachelor – a show I LOVE and email friends about every Tuesday and get together for a Final Rose party, and you know what – I don’t really miss it…at all. Chris and I have been talking lately about getting rid of cable and the idea of this actually excites me. Sadly, I don’t think I have the discipline not to watch this trash if we have access to it – however, take it away and it will be out of sight out of mind. Now, what will I do with that time? That’s the real challenge. I hope that I can discipline myself enough to use that time to do things that actually build me up and glorify God…that make me a better person and challenge me to use my time for something better.
Obviously I have a long way to go to replace my bricks, but I hope this journey is something that totally changes how my life is defined. I don’t just want to be a “Christian” who goes to church on Sundays and that’s it. I want to be a person who is serving my family and community and is truly the hands and feet of Jesus…and I think I will ALWAYS have more work to do.
*disclaimer: this post is NOT meant to make ANYONE feel guilty for watching TV! 
Obviously we all have things in our lives that we love, that relax us, etc, this is just me speaking for ME…I don’t care if you watch, heck, I might even ask you for an update!
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