Found this blog post in the archives of an old blog page of mine and it encouraged me so much today...
March 10, 2011
Can a book change your life? I can think of at least one that can. The Bible, the Word, the Scriptures...whatever we choose to call it, this book will change your life. It changes mine every day. Every day I crack open its delicate pages and browse them for something new, something that will reach off the page, grab hold of my heart and break me all apart. The latest verse to do such things is in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
I love this beautiful reminder that nothing I endure here on earth; no decision to make, no failed relationship, no conflict, no resolution, nothing ordinary, nothing spectacular...NOTHING can compare to the sublime beauty of God's love and all that awaits us in Heaven.
I am guilty of wasting a lot of time and energy on things that are irrelevant. I mean, yes...I still have to work and live and all of these things will require my focus and attention at some point. And I will have to make some significant decisions as I progress through life.
But like a giant whack in the face (with a pillow though, it was a soft whack), this scripture shook me by the shoulders and woke me up. It aggressively and yet lovingly spoke to me in the way that only God can... Kelley, I want you to know me more than you already do. I have plans for you. Don't be anxious or worried. Trust me. I've got it all worked out. Just relax and rest in me. Lean into My big loving arms and let me lead you. And remember, this is all just temporary. What I have waiting for you is SO much better.
There's another book that has changed my life. So I guess that, for me, there are two books that can change your life. I've said it many times before but Donald Miller is a man of refreshing insight and honesty. I find myself quoting him over and over. He comes to a revelation in his book, Blue Like Jazz, that has resonated with me since I first laid eyes on his words. And I think it goes hand in hand with the above scripture that has equally altered my heart and my thinking. Miller says:
"I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man's mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God."
I want to engage God. I want to know Him more than I do now. I don't want to look back on my time here and realize I wasted most of it on mindless, meaningless things that in the end helped no one, inspired no one, encouraged no one. Rather, I want to love people and really try to understand them. To take time to listen to what people are really saying. To slow down this frantic pace I seem to work myself into. And most of all, to connect with the heart of God and let others know they matter...and that they REALLY matter to Him.
