Look Up

Have you ever been in one of those cycles where it feels like it is never ending? It may not even be serious things, just things that leave your tank emptier instead of fuller. Things that individually, would normally not be a big deal in your walk and everyday life, but there’s just so many of them that they seem to pile on and on and on until you feel overworked and overwhelmed.

I’m gonna be a little transparent for a minute here and tell you that I have been there. I AM there. There have been problems to solve, issues to overcome, new ideas to generate and everyday tasks to maintain. And truthfully I feel like I have just been able to keep my head above water, but…

I felt the Lord asking me in my quiet exhaustion, “why do you believe you have to have/be the answer? You're not.”

Honestly, that broke a level of pride in myself. Because in that moment, I knew the Lord was right. (Ha, like that is not ALWAYS the case!) I realized that I was not living from the overflow, but rather living out of what I already had. I was spending time with God, of course… during my daily “Jesus time”. But the second I got to work I was… how do I put this… not actively looking for what God wanted to do throughout the day with the people and situations that I encountered.

Don’t get me wrong, if I felt a leading to pray for someone throughout the day I would. I listened and worshiped in the car at times and I believed I was willing to allow Him to use me.

But was I actively looking for God in each situation that I encountered? That my friends, was a deafening, resounding NO.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that it is right or wrong to pray about what outfit to wear or what to have for lunch. I’m not saying that we have to pray before we make even the minutest choices. If that’s your bag go for it. I’m simply saying for me, myself, I was not necessarily actively looking for what or how God wanted to move, and I didn’t always take a second to ask when the circumstances arose.

Maybe I can explain it a different way…

Imagine with me for a minute. Imagine you are spending time with someone important in your life, be it a friend, a spouse, child or family member and all the while you are supposed to be sharing time with this person and having conversation they are on their phones, never looking up, never FULLY engaging. They hear you, for the most part. You ask them questions, most of them, some of them, get answered, and still they never lift their eyes from the screen.

I feel like that is a good analogy for what the Lord was showing me. I am lingering in His presence and I am spending time with Him, but once I have “done my devotion time” my face is planted in the screens (metaphorically) of my life continuing the conversation, but never looking up.

Gay, one of our Pretty & Wise speakers and writers said something a long time ago while teaching vocal classes to our worship team. (YES, she sings too. She’s amazing.) She said to us, "Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent.” If you are practicing the wrong things then you're going to do the wrong thing perfectly.

I have re-used that simple yet profound statement in everything that I do, from coaching kids' sports to work to speaking. That statement has weaved itself in and through my life so powerfully. And I realized, I am not done yet. I have practiced hearing God throughout my day. But I have not practiced to permanence “seeing God” through out my day. I need to practice looking up! And actively seeing what the Lord wants to do, not just hear, because one thing that I know is that there is always more to be had!

Are you ready? Shameless plug coming…

I hope to SEE YOU at our Relentless conference this weekend, Oct 3-4,  in Midlothian, VA. Head over to the events page on our website to get your tickets and lets look to see what God wants to do together!