Luke 21:34
“So watch out for yourselves,” said Jesus, “that your hearts may not grow heavy with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of this life…”
The cares of this life.
Every single experience of our day can serve either to distract us from God, or draw us to God.
Ultimately, I believe this choice is ours.
My wife and I have been attempting to teach our daughters that you can view every circumstance either as opportunity or obstacle, and that this is one of the heaviest influencers on your happiness.
This is simply one of those “Secrets of Life” that we sometimes, unfortunately, hear very late in life.
My spiritual partner Dave has always said that your circumstances do not determine your happiness, your thinking does.
This is tough to apprehend for most, and in reality, there are probably very few who live into this radical freedom. But I believe this to be at least one aspect of the “narrow road” Jesus taught us about. Enslavement to circumstances–anxiety over things not going the way we want–is one of the things Christ offers to free us from.
Every little care in this life can distract you from God’s presence and care, if you let it.
If you let it.
Every little care in this life can draw you closer to God, if you allow it.
If you surrender.
Jesus desires to be a conscious, acknowledged part of every aspect of our life. From the trivial and mundane, to the momentous and most stressful. Every single experience of our day can draw us to Him, teach us His ways, and make us effective and more alive. Every perceived obstacle can be turned into an opportunity in an instant simply by switching our lenses through which we are looking.
In every circumstance, we could, for example, pray: “Lord, you are with me now. You are not stressed out, but are ready to care for me and guide me through this difficulty. I know You are infinitely good and want what is absolutely best for me. Amen.”
I think sometimes we are constantly asking God, if even subconsciously,
“Are You there and do You care?”
How we hear those two questions answered by God determines much of our life, our joy, our peace.
Everything that comes your way today–will it be a distraction or a drawing? What will you decide? Which will you choose?
Bonus Material: While reading in the front yard on this glorious day today, I came across a sentence I just loved by this guy named Jack A. Thorpe who was an Air Force captain in the seventies:
There is nothing like getting yelled at to make you think harder, to really reflect.
This came after he pitched an idea that he really believed in and had worked quite extensively on to some higher-ups and was laughed at. Instead of sulking, being defeated, he used it as motivation to work harder, reflect, and learn from it.