On Getting Derailed, and How We Might Get Back On-Track
You know those times when you feel like a straight-up crazy person? Raging lunatic?
Oh, yes. I am all too familiar with these emotions.
Namely, when there's a bee in my house.
What the what? "A bee?" you say. Yes, a bee.
Those little insects which cause minor harm to the average Joe, could actually kill my husband.
Jason is deathly allergic to bees, to the degree that if he gets stung, he has been told he has 2 hours to live.
Needless to say, I have a bit of contempt for these black and yellow creatures.
I mean, you even pose a minor threat to my family, and I will flat-out go crazy on yo' *ahem* behind.
Every summer, bees inevitably find their way into our home and think they can make themselves cozy. Little-do-they-know they're about to have the wrath of Laura come down on them. So I swat, and I aim to kill.
Else-wise, they'll literally kill my sweet husband. And you know I'm not having that.
And while I'm totally pro-bees when it comes to them being outside, in their natural habitat and pollinating my garden, and everyone else's garden, they pose a real threat to my dear family.
Bees have an incredibly important job to do. God created them well, and they are a vital part of our ecosystem.
Annndd..I love honey. Oh-for-the-love, I love honey.
Isn't it funny how something that is inherently good can cause so much destruction when it goes outside of it's intended purpose?
When it gets derailed from it's created purpose?
I've signed (and encouraged others) to sign petitions that our government would "save the bees" so-to-speak. We need them. And so while I am not anti-bee, I do recognize the intense and real threat they pose to my family.
When I get derailed from my created purpose, the consequences are many.
My life starts looking like:
- Striving
- Trying to be everything to everyone
- Burnout
- Fatigue
- Comparison-trap living
- Laziness
And on, and on.
I know Whose I am. I know that He created me to be in relationship with Him. To use the unique gifts He's placed in me, for His glory and my fulfillment.
Because, what it boils down to is this: God created me to love Him and love others.
“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:36-40
When I am able to focus on these two things, this loving of God and loving of others, I am doing what I was created to do.
Life, while not easy, goes better. Flows better.
I don't need to feel crushed, worn-down or tired when I'm living into what He has for me.
I need to try to do a little more of that - by the power of His Spirit living inside of me.
Because I know that apart from God, I can't do anything of value {John 15:5}.
But, in Him, through Him, He promises that I will bear much fruit.
And oh, don't we need more fruit in this world? The fruits that are talked about in Galatians chapter 5?
I know I want more: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
In what ways do you need to stop buzzing around, trying to be something your not?
Maybe you could create some space today to let God know that you want to live into who He made you.
Maybe you could even ask His help in that - through prayer, journaling, etc.
Won't you be who you were created to be?
We've got enough of everyone else. We need more of you.
Through Unspeakable Joy,
Laura