How to Slow Down and Be More Intentional

One of the easiest ways to ruin a good song is to play it at the wrong tempo. The same can happen in life. We have the best of intentions, we know the lyrics, but we play it too fast and miss the beauty.

“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.

What Psalm 23 would be if everything was up to me

This past Sunday I shared about how Psalm 23 is a picture of what happens when we allow the Lord to be our shepherd. The following is what happens when we try to be our own shepherd:

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!

Are You Anxious?

At times it feels like we’re living in the age of anxiety. One of the reasons we feel so anxious is because we feel like we are not in control. Do you know why we feel this way? Because it’s true! This seems like a negative, but realizing you are not in control of the universe is one of the first steps to experiencing the peace of God. “Be still and know that I am God…” -Psalm 46:10 God has always used people who walked through uncertain times. Much of the Bible was written in the midst of struggle, hardship, pain, captivity, and pandemic. Let us allow this reality of not having the power to control to lead us to the power we actually have: You do not always have the power to control, but you always have the power to surrender. -Craig Groschel We can’t always control, but that is ok because we can ALWAYS surrender to the God who is in control. A prayer to help you begin to surrender today: “Lord, I surrender everything and everyone to you” Begin to surrender your need for control to God. Confess the things that you are holding on to and trust the one who is in complete control. “Lord, I surrender control of _______________________” (fill in the blank with whatever you are having anxiety about.) Have an amazing day! C – CONTROL BELONGS TO GOD A – ASK HIM FOR HELP L – LEAVE YOUR WORRIES WITH HIM M – MEDITATE ON GOOD THINGS