Girlfriends in God - Mar. 18, 2011
An Uncluttered Woman
Gwen Smith
Today’s Truth
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33, NIV).
Friend to Friend
When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do was to twirl in the grass. With arms out stretched, I’d spin around and around until I was silly-dizzy, and then fall to the ground with a giggly heart. It was thrilling, invigorating and a fun and simple way to spend a lazy summer day in the rolling hills of southwestern Pennsylvania. Now that I’m older, I can’t handle spinning in circles. My body rejects any twisty endeavor. Nausea quickly sets in and reminds me that I’m not a “spinny-girl” anymore.
A few years ago while my family and I were at an amusement park, in an effort to gain favor in the eyes of my kids and earn imaginary super mom points, I enthusiastically got on a ride that spins in circles. My hero-husband always goes on this type of ride with our children, so I thought, “If Brad can do it, then I can do it, right?”
What a joke!
I walked up the ramp to the wretched “Wheel of Whirl” naively optimistic and walked down the ramp having made a great big fool of myself. The park employee had to stop the ride to let me off. Bad decision. Yucky feelings followed. Instead of becoming super mom, I became super sick mom. My center of balance and my emotions were quickly thrown off leaving my poor family with the disenchanting consequences of my twirling ambitions.
Just like that day in the amusement park, I constantly find myself thrown off balance from the wheeling whirl-of-life clutter. Why? Simply put: I complicate my life.
If we’re being honest – and I assure you, I’m all about straight talk – then I’d have to confess that I am one of my own biggest obstacles to living life as an uncluttered woman. I know that I should depend solely on God for direction and strength, but the simple fact is I often don’t. Most of us would admit that this is the case. It is hard to sift through all that is thrown at us each day. Clutter happens and it challenges all of us. I’m in the trenches with you and readily admit that navigating this silly-dizzy world is difficult.
There are ten bazillion things that compete for our attention and clutter our faith: emotions, materialism, negative thinking, overbooked schedules, doubts, legalism, laziness, self-reliance, our past pains and failures, technology, work, our need to control things, finances, debt, stress, addictions, discontentment and relationships. And I’m just getting started! This list could go on forever.
The Bible instructs us to direct our silly-dizzy days toward God. “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3, NIV).
In His presence, God gives order to both our thoughts and our to-do lists. Everything changes when we seek Him first and commit our plans to Him. The journey to becoming an uncluttered woman is all about personal contact with Jesus. You and I will experience greater peace and deeper faith as we determine to respond to His constant invitation to come. But don’t worry. Jesus is no stranger to clutter. He walked the same earth we do and dealt with the same struggles and problems we deal with. He loved many a cluttered woman while here on earth and many more before and since His ascension. He knows your clutter – your stuff – and He invites you to come just the same.
When we position ourselves in the presence of the Peace-giver and look to Him to lead and prioritize our heart matters, the uncluttering begins.
Let it begin.
Let’s Pray
Dear God, Thanks for reminding me that I can always come to You and trade in my exhaustion for Your rejuvenation. Please bring order to my day and establish my priorities according to Your will. Teach me what it means to live a Spirit-led life and show me how to become an uncluttered woman.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
What came to your mind as you read this devotion?
In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” What are you seeking first?
Are there activities, emotions, relationships, or thoughts in your life that need to be committed to the Lord? Spend a few moments in prayer and ask the Lord to establish your plans according to His will.
More from the Girlfriends
I think we all struggle with this one. BUT GOD – He loves to give us strength where we struggle. The title track of my newest CD is called Uncluttered. Since we’ve gone there devotionally, I’d really like to go deeper by exploring this topic musically. Please join me on my Facebook page right now and take a listen to Uncluttered. (www.facebook.com/GwenSmithMusic) Then write a few thoughts on my wall about where God is directing you in all of this.
SILLY-DIZZY? Check out Gwen's new CD, Uncluttered.The songs of Uncluttered are purposed to sweep you away from life-noise and to focus your heart and mind on the one thing that matters: your relationship with Jesus Christ.
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