I have been very busy lately and spread somewhat thinly between home, work, Church and school volunteering commitments. I feel like I need to shed some of the excess in order to focus on what’s core in my life and my development. Just as Rob Bell said on the Nooma* “Shells” film – you have to put some old things down to pick up something new.
The trouble is, I often feel such a sense of duty that I find it hard to say no and let go.
I have found that prayer helps and I am starting to understand the things I do which I do for God and those I do for myself. Being true to God means that the selfish things have to go. As Paul writes in Hebrews 12:1-2 “…let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way and the sin that holds us back…” It’s hard, but I do feel like I’m making progress. I need to pray for discernment in order to see what things I need to keep and what needs to go.
I love the idea of stripping away the excess and simplifying – I need to do it in so many areas of my life – particularly possessions! It would be so much nicer to live a simpler life focusing only on what I need rather than what I want.
So much work to do…
* Incidentally, if you’ve not yet had the pleasure, the Nooma series of short films are really thought-provoking and worth a watch
