Hello friends and family!! I am so sorry that I have been out of the blogging world for the past two months. While in Nepal, the team I was with was in a remote village that required us crossing 14 rivers just to get to it. So I chose to leave my computer behind for the 3 hour hike to lighten my load and prevent dropping it in water…or down the mountain!
I then went straight from our time in the mountains to a leadership development weekend that we put on for the team leaders. Then from there, we headed to Thailand (which was my favorite month and something I plan on blogging about next!)
But back to Nepal! Living in a remote village in our tents with immaculate mountains surrounding us, bathing in rivers and hiking everyday was absolutely incredible! I truly enjoyed the simplicity of the month and was so thrilled to actually have the opportunity to do manual labor for ministry for a change.
A typical day for us was to wake up at 7 AM, eat breakfast and then head down the mountain to carry up materials (rocks, and sand) up the mountain to make bricks for a Christian school. We would work for four hours, have lunch, and then the rest of the day was set-aside for team time and quiet time.
It did not take long to realize that our free time was limited with options of things to do. This lead to a lot of journaling, reading, playing guitar and bonfires filled with worship and conversations. The month really grew on me and I truly looked forward to my lengthy talks with Jesus in a hammock surrounded by His amazing creation.
I definitely grew stir crazy at times, especially when my kindle died off, taking my library away from me. But, it was a time I knew not to take for granted, not having any distractions at all (my AIM phone was even out of service!) This got me to thinking, even with no phones, internet, stores, entertainment, were my thoughts solely and constantly on the Lord? And as I am sure you guessed…they were not. How was I still not fully focused on my Savior as He asks for us to be? “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:13.
This is because we are still made of flesh and naturally we are self-focused. Our natural mind turns to our own desires and concerns. How many times have I blamed my physical situation for my lack in focus with my relationship in Christ? How many times have I thought if I were to just be stripped of all commitments, that then I would truly be able to fully devote my time and thoughts to God? Now what was my excuse when I found myself thinking about my own petty issues, rather than simply praising my Savior and King who deserves my undivided attention at all times?
I came to the conclusion that naturally focusing on Christ will never happen. That in order to give Christ our full attention it requires discipline and passion, regardless if we have a million or no distractions. This makes me think of something my pastor once talked about concerning prayer. He was talking about how in long prayers we can find ourselves wandering in our own thoughts. He said instead of condemning ourselves for getting distracted, to simply laugh along with God (for He knows we are human) and simply refocus. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, rather to strive for perfection, knowing we can never fully achieve it.
For some of you, I feel like this could be an encouragement that you don’t need to leave the busy life you lead in order to increase your intimacy and relationship with Christ. To others, this might be a wake up call that God isn’t someone you can put on the back burner in hopes that once life slows down you can get to Him. Life isn’t what is preventing your intimacy with Christ; it’s your priorities that are getting in the way.
So I will leave you with this last thought. This Christmas, are you going to let your busyness get the best of you, or you going to make sure you are taking time to praise the one who is the reason for the season?
“’Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call him Emmanuel.’” Mark 1:23
