“Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day.” -Dallas WIllard

If we are not intentional we will naturally keep speeding up. This happens to me on the highway. If I don’t set the cruise control and be intentional my speed goes up and I don’t even notice. Hurry is dangerous. So how do we begin to be more intentional?

1. Establish dashboards

The dashboard of my car has a lot of information. There are lights that will turn on to let me know if there is a problem. The dashboard is continually monitoring levels and temperatures of various things throughout my vehicle. The dashboard let’s me know if I need gas or if it is time for an oil change.

What if we intentionally identified the priorities in our lives and created a dashboard to help monitor it. I use a free “Life Wheel” app for this. There are a ton of these types of apps to choose from. I love it because a “Life Wheel” is a visual way to see each of my priorities and make a plan for being healthy.

What are your priorities? Here are some examples:

• Faith Life – My relationship with God
• Marriage Life – My relationship with Kara
• Family Life – My relationship with my kids and immediate family
• Physical Life – Am I taking care of myself?
• Work Life – My relationship with people at work. Am I being faithful to the assignment that God has given me?
• Social Life – My relationship with friends
• Attitudinal Life – An attitude check
• Creative Life – Am I dreaming? Am I full of God’s vision?
• Financial Life – My personal finances? Am I being a good steward?
• Travel Life – Is my schedule healthy?

Take time to make your own list and create a dashboards that you review each week.

2. Give calendar time to your priorities

After determining your priorities, put them on your schedule first. I have found that if I don’t put these big rocks in first then the rest will not fit.

3. Don’t sacrifice the important for the urgent

There will always be things that feel urgent. Rarely do priorities in life feel urgent. The important things are not loud and flashy. The important things are quiet and are easily overlooked. However, in the end, they are all that matter.

That may mean you disappoint people by saying no to good opportunities so that you can say yes to God opportunities.

4. Receive grace

We are all going to get it wrong from time to time. Life happens. Maybe you are reading this and thinking to yourself, “What’s the use? I’ve done this before and failed.” Receive the grace of God and get up again. There is a reason you are reading this right now! God is not finished in your life!

Let’s live this life that the Lord has given us at the right tempo.

Have a great day.

I am my shepherd.
I always want something I don’t have.
I lie down in worried places
I hear the roar or noisy waters
It depletes my soul

I feel confused on my path
Trying to achieve something for my name sake

When I walk through the darkest valley
I fear every evil
I wonder if God is even with me

My possessions and popularity
They try to comfort me
I have prepared a table, but I can’t even enjoy it because of the enemies all around me.
I anoint my life with hurry and distractions; my cup is empty

Surely busyness and worry will follow me all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of anxiety forever.

I am so thankful I am not called to be my own shepherd. I have a shepherd and His way is the best way. Let’s trust the shepherd this week!

This is a trait I passed down to my oldest son. He has had glasses for the past couple months now and he keeps losing them. My wife and I can’t understand it. He has a significant prescription, he can surely notice when they are off, but he still forgets where he took them off all the time. While frustrated earlier this week that he lost them once again, I asked, “How is this possible! I wear glasses everyday and I know when mine are lost. Why do you keep losing yours?” He said, “Well Dad you have been wearing them for a lot longer than me.”

Yes, I may not forget my physical lenses very often. However, many days I leave the house without my spiritual lenses.

Here are some spiritual spectacles to look through today:

Lens of God’s favor – As a believer, you have the favor of God on your life. You can expect the favor of God today and forever.

Lens of God’s faithfulness – You serve a faithful God. He is faithful in every season and that includes today. Look back over your life and remember that God has never let you down, and he is not about to start today. He is faithful.

Lens of God’s friendship – The God of the universe calls you friend (John 15). What would happen if you lived this entire day seeing the reality that God wants to have a relationship with you today. Let today be a day of constant communication with your creator!

There are so many more, but let these be a start.

Have a great day and don’t forget your glasses!

–Brandon

– A chapter is just a chapter, it’s not the whole story.
– With God, the bad chapters can become the best parts of the story.
– Be careful not to name a chapter while you’re in the middle of a chapter.
– Keep turning the page and trusting the author!

-Brandon