Monthly Myrrh

One in 500,000 people become an Olympian, and 5 billion people watch them. Why are we so drawn to these epic games? We are drawn by our shared divine desire to rise out of difficulty to defeat something that feels bigger than ourselves. It is the people we watch, their stories we hear, and their hearts we root for. It's bigger than a win/lose; many times, it's more than country; it's the human story within it all that fascinates us the most.

What about you? We are all standing at the top of our own ski jumps. We all have challenges and opportunities that call for Olympic efforts. Don't take them lightly or give in to the thought that it doesn't matter, or even worse, that you can never overcome or achieve. And remember that the best victories are those celebrated within our souls when we rise out of ashes and see the beauty it has drawn out of us.

These are quiet moments of deep satisfaction that no one but you can fully appreciate. So don't shrink, rather set your sights, get on your marks, and go for it each day. God wants us to live the most abundant life possible. That looks different to everyone! Ask God to show you yours and to give you the faith to unwaveringly pursue it, including those seemingly tiny daily victories that make you proud and keep you in the running for your personal gold.

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. ~ Proverbs 14:23 NIV

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

This is a scripture we all quote often to our students and children, yet verses 12 and 13 are just as significant, if not more. The Word goes on to say, "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

This tells us of the power in believing what God says about us in verse 11! If we truly believe this word, we will wholeheartedly seek Him and call upon Him in prayer. This is so pleasing to God that He tells us here that He WILL listen to us. Can you picture this? He is listening.

Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! Psalm 116:2 NLT

We now have machines to help us be more productive than ever before, and yet we continue to race through our days to do more and more. It's like dribbling down the court with a basketball in each hand. You might look amazing, but you aren't going to win the game with that move.

I think most of us would admit that we have a “pace” problem. Mock 1 with our hair on fire makes us feel more productive. But are we really? Scripture tells us that “whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way,” Proverbs 19:2. If this isn’t bad enough, Proverbs 21:5 shares that “everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

It’s time to kick “hurry” to the curb. Hurrying and delaying have a lot in common. They are both ways to steal the present. This is well-being SABBOAGE. Hurrying is also an enemy of savoring. And when we hurry, we tend to multitask, thinking we are getting ahead. Studies show that multitasking takes a toll on our productivity, and it is certainly a thief of savoring. Don’t let these two thieves steal the rich flavors of your day!

Let’s slow down and reduce our surrounding noise long enough to take stock of our personal master list and consider a good, healthy pruning. Ask yourself, are the people and things you are investing time and energy in adding to or subtracting from your life? God cares about how you spend this life.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV

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© Kathy Pierce Howard

Email: kathy@prep4successacademy.com
Website: www.prep4successacademy.com
Location: 3500 West Houston Street, Sherman, TX, USA
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