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EVANGELISM / OUTREACH
COVENANT LUTHERAN CHURCH "IT'S A NEW DAY... ... A NEW BEGINNING" |
E-mail: DAKRESSIN@WI.RR.COM for more information.
Life on the Hamster Wheel
Do you feel like you're living life on a hamster
wheel? You have an established set of
rules-socially, spiritually, and professionally and,
aside from an occasional dose of WD40, all runs
consistently, even monotonously.
Hinges are responsible for keeping a hamster
wheel on a consistent track. If you're a Christian,
you may assume-like I do-that God is acting as the
hinges. By persistently following the same
track-the same rules-you may take for granted
you are doing His will. Have you stopped to
consider that perhaps the rules you live by aren't
God-directed but self-inflicted?
Sometimes, we are so enthusiastic about God's
direction for us we hear only half of His
assignment before we bolt down the path. We
didn't even stick around long enough to hear our
assigned destination. Once we've arrived at the
end of this path-winded and exhausted-we look
around and ask, "Where am I? This doesn't look
quite right." If we would have stopped at our
assigned destination, we might have better
understood the next direction we were to take,
which had us choosing the fork in the road rather
than the same path the entire way.
Along the way, be sure to ask yourself, "Am I
operating out of obedience to God or does fear in
stepping outside of the box and my comfort zone
hamper my service to Him?"
I must confess I am a creature of habit. Similar
actions produce similar results so, for me, living
within a set of boundaries-a range of activity, if
you will-is my way of maintaining tighter control.
Living this way, however, actually exposes my
fear that man has more power to alter my life's
course than God. If this is the case, I may need to
drop the reins and remember who's in control no
matter what. God holds my future in His hands.
He protects me from men's schemes, and He alone
is completely trustworthy and capable of doing so.
If you understand (perhaps, all too well) that sense
of running on the hamster wheel until you're
completely exhausted, it could be time to ask God
if He has a change of direction for you.
Here's a simple prayer: "God, is my current path
to follow the well-known and predictable routes I
have travelled or is it time to venture in new
directions? Wherever You lead, teach me to
follow; wherever I go, guide me completely." Now
be sure when you pray this, you're not in full stride.
"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).
Take time to catch your breath. Then wait and
listen.
Do you feel like you're living life on a hamster
wheel? You have an established set of
rules-socially, spiritually, and professionally and,
aside from an occasional dose of WD40, all runs
consistently, even monotonously.
Hinges are responsible for keeping a hamster
wheel on a consistent track. If you're a Christian,
you may assume-like I do-that God is acting as the
hinges. By persistently following the same
track-the same rules-you may take for granted
you are doing His will. Have you stopped to
consider that perhaps the rules you live by aren't
God-directed but self-inflicted?
Sometimes, we are so enthusiastic about God's
direction for us we hear only half of His
assignment before we bolt down the path. We
didn't even stick around long enough to hear our
assigned destination. Once we've arrived at the
end of this path-winded and exhausted-we look
around and ask, "Where am I? This doesn't look
quite right." If we would have stopped at our
assigned destination, we might have better
understood the next direction we were to take,
which had us choosing the fork in the road rather
than the same path the entire way.
Along the way, be sure to ask yourself, "Am I
operating out of obedience to God or does fear in
stepping outside of the box and my comfort zone
hamper my service to Him?"
I must confess I am a creature of habit. Similar
actions produce similar results so, for me, living
within a set of boundaries-a range of activity, if
you will-is my way of maintaining tighter control.
Living this way, however, actually exposes my
fear that man has more power to alter my life's
course than God. If this is the case, I may need to
drop the reins and remember who's in control no
matter what. God holds my future in His hands.
He protects me from men's schemes, and He alone
is completely trustworthy and capable of doing so.
If you understand (perhaps, all too well) that sense
of running on the hamster wheel until you're
completely exhausted, it could be time to ask God
if He has a change of direction for you.
Here's a simple prayer: "God, is my current path
to follow the well-known and predictable routes I
have travelled or is it time to venture in new
directions? Wherever You lead, teach me to
follow; wherever I go, guide me completely." Now
be sure when you pray this, you're not in full stride.
"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).
Take time to catch your breath. Then wait and
listen.
| Lutheran Hour Ministries Toll free: (800) 876-9880 Lutheran Hour Ministries, 660 Mason Ridge Center, St. Louis, MO 63141 |
"Equipping to Share"
It’s His mission,
His message ,
and His power.
It’s His mission,
His message ,
and His power.