Wednesday, September 5, 2012

On Good Intentions

Wow. I can't believe it's been a year since I last posted. So many good intentions to chronicle our homeschooling adventures lost to procrastination...sigh.
We've had a wonderful home school experience, and although it's come to an end I will truly cherish the time we spent learning together. I wish I would have spent the extra time to write each day as I had planned so I could look back at it later as my memories become hazy.

Unfortunately, I think that in other areas of my walk with God I tend to do this as well. I intend to prepare my Sunday School lesson way ahead of time and do an in-depth study but I put it off for when I can "focus on it" then next thing I know it's Saturday night! With the blog, I put it off because I didn't feel "inspired" about what to write so it gave me an excuse not to write anything at all. When I pray I think, well, God knows what this person needs better than I do so I can just give a half-hearted prayer.

Honestly, when I started this blog I wanted it to be a visual reminder of the ways we live out our faith and give glory to God in our daily lives as a family and as individuals. I also wanted it to be a place to share the ways that God was working in my life and maybe be able to share something helpful with others. Hmm, perhaps He's teaching me about commitment and diligence?

So why didn't I keep up with this blog? It wasn't that I didn't want to, I really did. I originally had the best of intentions but I didn't make it a priority in my life so when it got hard, I quit. I didn't intend to quit but by continually putting it off, that was the ultimate result. But while it was easier for me to put it off until tomorrow, it's not biblical. Proverbs 27:1 says, Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. In James 4 it says that tomorrow is not promised and that anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. Ouch.

So what now?
Do I give up and live in regret of what could have been? I'm writing this, so obviously not, that would be foolish and just add misery to failure. But how often do we do just that? Darn, I slept too late to have my quiet time...guess I'll try again tomorrow or I'll wait to post until after the kids go to bed knowing full well that by then I'll be too tired to string a coherent sentence together and I'll put it off.

Praise God for His patience and grace! Each day we are given is another chance to start anew. I don't have to be a slave to my procrastination and good intentions. When I feel the urge to put something off because it's too hard, or I'm tired or whatever the excuse is I can give it to God and ask for His strength and leadership. Instead of waiting to be "inspired", I will look deeper to see what God's word says and how it applies to my life. Seek and ye shall find...amazing.

Repentance and commitment
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3
 
Lord, I am sorry for giving you good intentions when I should be acting in obedience to you. Father, I commit my plans to you, help me to be a doer and not a hearer only. Amen.

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