(Blog posted for Bri by Kari)
We all have good intentions and usually start out well, but
what is it that keeps us from accomplishing what we set out to do?
I am reminded of the time I found myself lost in the monkey
house of the St. Louis Zoo. I was only 5 years old and noticed an interesting
gorilla down one of the hallways, so I wandered over to get a closer look. I
was completely oblivious to the fact that my family had kept on walking without
me. I was in my own little world for about 5 min. before I realized I had no
idea where my mommy was, and I started to cry. A nice couple found me and
waited with me until my terribly distressed parents found me. Everything turned
out fine that day, but my pattern of getting distracted and “wandering off on
my own” has stayed with me. I will often set off in one direction, and all it
takes is the slightest bit of curiosity or interest about something else, and
my mind is instantly diverted off course.
I have noticed this happen several times in my walk with the
Lord as well. Everything seems to be going great, then something else in life
grabs my attention, and before I know it I find myself in a completely
different place than where I want to be. I was reading II Corinthians 11 this
week and Paul’s concern for the church in verse 3 really struck me. “
But I am afraid that just as Eve was
deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from
your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”
That verse pretty much encapsulates the last 5
years of my life…good intentions, followed by distractions, leading to my mind
being led astray, resulting in lack of sincere devotion to Christ. Although
there was clear pattern of this happening in my life, it wasn’t until recently
that I actually began to recognize it. Last summer God gave me Psalm 86:11, and
it has really become my life verse.
“Teach
me your ways, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name.” God
wants all of me…complete devotion, no distractions. I’ve realized that I can’t
just sit back and hope that my mind isn’t led astray. Now that I am aware of
it, I need to take proactive steps to help prevent it from happening. I need to
protect my mind and my heart from the things that so easily entangle me.
Fast forward to now. God has clearly convicted me that the
amount of time I spend on the internet communicating with people from back home
has become a distraction, and has shifted my focus from where it should be here
on the World Race. I wrestled with God for a couple days about it, because I
REALLY, REALLY didn’t want to give it up, but the conclusion I’ve come to is
that until God tells me otherwise, I am not going to be using the internet. Although
it’s going to be really hard not having that link to home, I think it will make
it so much easier for me to shift my focus to what’s happening here instead of
being consumed by what’s happening at home. I want my time and attention to be
fully invested in what God is doing here, and He’s removing distractions in
order for that to fully happen.
Because I don’t think it’s fair to all my supporters to just
disappear for a while, I will still be writing blogs, I just won’t be the one
getting online to post them. I still want you all to know how God is working
here and to be able to share in that. Thanks again for all your love and
support. Please continue to pray for me as God continues the refining process
of my heart. Much love!
