New Years Resolutions… great intentions, but they are known to only stick temporarily. This year, I wanted to be very intentional about what I wanted my 2019 to look like and how I wanted it to look different. Daily stillness is what I wanted to be that difference: intentional time with Jesus each and every day to make me grounded in Him and to surrender each and every day to His will.
Well, here we are in the middle of February and the habit I started making for the past month has been shaken. These past few weeks have been hard school wise. It has been one thing after another with little time to even breathe it feels like. I get so mad at myself because when things get crazy, the most important things aren’t supposed to be the first ones to go. My priorities get so out of whack so, so quickly.
Sin is deceitful. It conceals itself and disguises itself. It tricks us, confuses us, and leads us farther from Jesus. The scary part is not even realizing its happening. This has been me the past two weeks. I have let the lesser things occupy my time. I have taken my focus off Jesus.
Rest and stillness are ways to keep “our hearts from being hardened from the deceitfulness of sin.” [Hebrews 3:11]. God offers us rest in Him, and it is through Jesus. We don’t have to do it ourselves. It is already finished. He won. Our job is to rest in the beauty of that and make that fuel for how we live our every day. We all lose sight of Him and get distracted at times, but we need to persevere. “For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our confidence firm to the end.” Starting strong is only a part of the equation. We have to persistently choose it.
So my encouragement for myself and you today is that He continues to give grace! I may have gotten off track, but my job is to live my today better than I lived my yesterday. Stillness is vital, and I need to make it a priority in my life that is unshakeable and steadfast.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Thankful today for Jesus, friends that hold me accountable, Fridays, and coffee.
