Wednesday, October 7, 2009

This little life of mine.....starring?

It has become very apparent in the last few months that I have far too many distractions in my life. Things that distract me from following God's will for my life. Things that distract me from being the best wife, mother, sister, friend that I am called to be. Things that can get in the way of my testimony. Things that Satan tries to use to tear down all that God has built up. It has really affected my ability to let His light shine through me. As the old saying goes, you become what is most important to you. Boy....that's a tough one to chew on, because lately, my focus has not been on furthering the Kingdom of God. I have spent most of my energy focusing on my own problems, which are, of course, created by me!

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3: 1-4


In my every day life, I spend entirely too much time on facebook, Perez Hilton (don't judge...ha), and many other things that mean nothing in this world. If I used the same amount of time to read my Bible, pray for others, encourage others, forgive others, or just looking for opportunities for my life to be a testimony, what kind of witness would I be? It wouldn't make me perfect, but it would make me stronger. I would be closer to being what God has called me to be.

Satan has really been at work! He just kicks you when you're down. He uses the very things you treasure the most to hit you where it counts. Things like spouses, children, families, friends and jobs . These are all blessings we should be so thankful for. He puts doubts in your mind that allow you to fall into his trap. And boy have I fallen!

The good news is that God is waiting there to catch me. He picks me back up, wipes off the "boo boo's" and sets me back on my feet, while encouraging me to keep seeking Him. This song, by Selah, talks about places where grace is. Each and every thing in our life that brings us to our knees, including our own setbacks and failures, will not be unredeemed if you bring them to the cross.



When we get so busy with all of the things of this earth, we tend to lose sight of our true purpose here. We get all worked up, out of sorts and stressed out. But it's all in vain. God has already written this script. He knows how it all turns out. It is up to each of us to live up to the role He has chosen for us. We have to remember that God is the lead character, as this story is about Him, not about us. However, He doesn't want us to be just an "extra". He wants us to be a supporting actor, doing our best to put Him in the best light we can.

What role have you taken on in your life? What role have you given Jesus? His story has a much happier ending than our own. My encouragement for you today is to ask Him to take the lead. Offer yourselves as a supporting role, doing everything He has called you to do. Keep your focus on things above, not on the things of this earth.

In an effort to help me keep my focus, and to be held accountable, I will be deleting my facebook account as soon as someone can tell me how to save all of my pictures. So, if you have any idea of how to do this, your help is greatly appreciated.

To ALL of my friends, I love each and everyone of you for who you are and what you mean to me. I want to apologize to each one of you for letting this world, and Satan, get the best of me. My life has been greatly blessed by you, in many different ways.

3 comments:

Surrounded-By-Boys said...

arabeth, I think all of us struggle with exactly what you just said! It's so hard to find that true balance...we're mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, followers of Christ and it's very hard to balance the first 4--hence the stress we feel which leads Satan to attack and make us feel like we're not being true to Christ. I admire your honesty and I'd love to help with the Facebook issue of saving your pictures, but I have no idea how to get pics off Facebook...plus, I think they own the copyright now? don't know...Love ya girl!!

Cljames said...

This is exactly what I need today!! Thanks for encouraging me through this message! I've really been struggling with many things that you have listed and it's nice to have Christian friends to uplift my spirit! School has been EXTRA tough on me this semester but I just need to keep faith and hopefully everything else will fall into place! Thanks again for your words of wisdom!

Love ya-
Gracie!

SaraBeth said...

Thanks for your encouragement as well. Unfortunately the truth can sometimes stink, but it can also wake us up! Glad you guys are reading:)