[header size=”1″ type=”single”]MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS[/header]
There is only one way to get off the merry go round, jump. Yes, it will be uncomfortable. Yes, it will hurt a little. Yes, you will miss the feeling of that rush of adrenaline and the people who are still on the ride, but if you want your life back, if you want your life to matter, you have to get off that meaningless ride.
Matthew 6:30-33 MSG
If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, and do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, not to be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and how he works fuss over these things, but you know God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Proverbs 3:5-7 AMP
Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind, and do not rely on your insight or understanding. In all your ways, know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths straight and plain. Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil.
The good life is the God kind of life. I think all of humanity, and even Christians at times, believe the lie that if we do things God’s way, we will somehow miss out on real life. So instead of completely submitting our lives to Jesus’ leadership, we acknowledge Him in some things but not all things, reserving for ourselves areas and issues that we think we can’t let go of—not realizing that God will give us better lives when we share it all with him.
[hr type=”without-line” style=”solid” height=”30″ text=”no”][/hr]
Its always better to make the decision to get off the ride on your own terms.
[hr type=”without-line” style=”solid” height=”30″ text=”no”][/hr]
We have a choice every day. Whether to listen to the wisdom of God, which is crying out to us, beaconing us to listen and learn the ways of God, or listen to the foolishness of human philosophy and ideology that says, do things your way to get what you want, because the meaning in life is to get your way. One solution is submission, and the other is subjugation. The one thing imperative if we want a life of significance is to admit, acknowledge, appreciate, and embrace the fact that God knows best. Surrendering to him is sweet and always ends in contentment.
The merry-go-round life is a deception. It makes you think your life has momentum. It is moving; however, after some time, you figure out you are just going in circles. It makes you feel like you are having fun, and you are for a while, but then the futility of it all catches up with you, and you feel tired and dizzy. When you can’t hold on anymore and lose your grasp, it will inevitably eject you, only to land with your face in the mud. It’s always better to get off the ride on your terms.
HOW DO I GET OFF THIS CRAZY RIDE?
There’s only one way to get off the merry-go-round: jump. Yes, it will be uncomfortable. Yes, it will hurt a little. Yes, you will miss the rush of adrenaline and the people still on the ride, but if you want your life to matter, you have to get off that meaningless ride.
HELPFUL TIPS
1. Make the hard decisions. Plan your priorities, not your time. You can’t do everything you have to choose.
It’s interesting how often we refuse to tell others, especially ourselves, NO. We act as if it’s possible to do everything available to us. You would think there are no time limitations. We would never say this, but there is this apparent belief that we can do it all. That somehow we can stop time and get it all done. The truth is, in life, we must choose what we will do. I believe the difference between people who get the best out of life and those who don’t is how they use their time.
I read the other day that Chip and Joanna Gains, the stars of the hit HGTV show, “Fixer Upper,” don’t have a television in their own home. Isn’t that interesting? They are stars on TV, but they never watch it. WHY? Because they are using their time differently.
We have to choose, and if we are to live a life of purpose and significance, and not just round and round we go, where we stop, nobody knows, we must plan our priorities. In other words, we must decide what is important to us based on our values and fill our schedule with those things, with ample margin to think. We can not just cram everything we want into a calendar and call it good. We have to choose. We have to choose. ARE YOU HEARING ME? We have to choose. (I am speaking to myself; this is where I struggle) I’ve had a lifetime of overestimating my ability to get things done and underestimating just how long it would take.
2. Simplify: everything that is unnecessarily complex (drama) is cut.
We have allowed our lives to become dramatic, complicated, and demanding. We are letting people and things on this merry-go-round keep us tied to it. We know this because if there is ever any discussion or even a little hint that you are tired and about to disembark from the crazy train, those so-called friends, who are prisoners of the same demanding busyness, act as if they are completely appalled at the idea that you would ever change. “It’s always been like this,” they say, “it will never change; we just have to go with the flow and accept it. This is life, and you can do nothing about it.”
Let me say this: as long as you allow things and people demanding that you stay on the ride to rule your life, there will be no peace. They are bringing gasoline to your fire. YOU NEED SOME WATER. Simplicity is what we need, not complicity. There is peace in simplicity.
3. Realign: Remember your values (what is important to you) and delete empty activity
Determine in advance what is important to you. What matters. What is a genuine priority? Not what you wish was a priority, but make the meaningful things a priority. This lets you say no to life’s empty, urgent, unimportant things.
TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS
Step 1: Have Courage
God told Joshua 4 times in chapter 1 of Joshua not to fear. Remember, Joshua had been a part of the leadership team that led the children of Israel who had gotten trapped on one massive merry-go-round. They allowed fear to back them into choosing to walk around the same mountain for forty years instead of moving forward into God’s plan and purpose for their life.
Romans 8:15, we have not been given the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the nature of adoption whereby we cry, Daddy daddy.
Fear will keep you bound to the merry-go-round. Fear that people will think you crazy for getting off the ride, fear of being different. Fear of change. Afraid of the world passing you by. Afraid you are going to miss out. Fear permanently binds and must be broken so you can do what you know you need to, regardless of how scary it is. HAVE COURAGE.
Step 2: Live daily by your true priorities.
How much of what we do with our time, money, energy, and effort is spent on things that are not priorities in our lives?
Step 3: Please God, not people.
[hr type=”without-line” style=”solid” height=”30″ text=”no”][/hr]
But Peter and John replied to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must decide (judge). But we [ourselves] cannot help telling what we have seen and heard. (Acts 4:19, 20 AMP)
[hr type=”without-line” style=”solid” height=”30″ text=”no”][/hr]