By Sue Nichols

 

 

Recently, I reflected on the state of my life and I just had to shake my head. I was heading in the direction of the crazy busy life I have been fighting against for a long time. In fact, I was smack dab in the middle of the whirlwinds of not even having time for myself. I was not spending as much time in prayer and I was certainly not feeding myself with God's word. How did I get to this space?

 

Then, I thought about Easter and the significance of the week leading up to Easter. What hit me most was that this weekend marks the greatest example of obedience and sacrifice of anyone since the beginning of mankind. Jesus did not want to die, but he was obedient to God. He died for all of our sins so that we can have eternal life and so that we can have an intimate relationship with God.

 

When that thought settled deep into my soul, I asked myself, "What obedience and sacrifice am I exhibiting toward God?" The problem I found myself in was that I was not being obedient and I knew I did not want to settle for this type of life. I want a life full of purpose, meaning and awareness of those around me. When I am in the state of the whirlwinds, I have such impaired vision of others' needs and God's promptings. 

 

God blesses us when we obey his Word and his promptings. As our love and knowledge of God grows, we are moved to make sacrifices of time, money, food or possessions to honor God and bless those around us. Obeying God and sacrificing that which we hold dear can be a reminder of the monumental act of Jesus on behalf of all of us.

 

Today, I have drawn a line in the sand. I claim the promises that God states for me in the Bible. I have stepped out of the whirlwinds and I have made a deliberate choice to reconfigure my priorities and place God at the forefront of all that I do.

 

I challenge you, if you are in the whirlwinds of this crazy life, take the time to step away and make the choice to not be sucked into the chaos and whirlwinds of this world. This can be a process. I have been here before and it CERTAINLY takes a conscience effort to remain obedient. Don't worry, God will give you the strength you need ------simply ask and seek Him.

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13