Living Simply

Do you often find yourself exhausted from the demands of life? It is easy to find ourselves caught up the business of life, and with school starting it is bound to only get worse. When we get caught up in the restlessness of life we tend to loose focus of God. Wouldn't it be better to feel refreshed instead of exhausted. Here are four ways in which to simplify your life and create an atmosphere of peace instead of panic.


Give Thanks

When we are overwhelmed with life we often miss the little things God uses to bless us throughout our day. Instead, ask God to reveal to you the ways he shows up in your life this week. We are inclined to receive the good gifts God give us without stopping and expressing our gratitude. God loves to hear our gratitude. I often find myself complaining about the things that go wrong instead of being thankful for the things that right. For example, I spend the night with my best friend last night and we had a very needed conversation and experienced breakthroughs. But this morning I found myself grumbling about having to go to school and feeling run down because I took a wrong turn and ended up late for school. It left me feeling defeated and exhausted. I decided to focus on the negative instead of focusing on the amazing things God had been doing in my life. Being negative adds unnecessary weariness when we instead could embrace the peace God offers.


Take a Break
It is important to let our bodies have a break. Make sure you are getting enough sleep and eating right. I know that might sound generic but it really is important. The Bible says our bodies are a temple (1 Corinthians 16:19-20). We are called to honor God with our bodies. You would not invite guests over to your home and leave it trashed. You cannot expect your guests to tolerate such conditions. Neither should we expect God to tolerate such conditions. When we are tired it is easier for us to become short with others and we become more easily irritated. By taking care of our bodies it us easier for us to show the love of Jesus to other people. Just as we are shown love and grace from the Father so are we to show love and grace to the people in our lives. Encouraging others and releasing life in their lives causes us to become filled up with faith and joy. We cannot live to the our fullest extent if we are constantly exhausted. Make a point this week to slow down and take breaks.



Take Time to Get Filled Up

Today is all about quick fixes. If you are feeling down have a drink. If you are feeling hungry pop something in the microwave. If you are bored watch a show on your phone. We are so used to having everything immediately, but we cannot let this mindset continue into our spiritual walk. I found myself praying one sentence prayers. I wanted God to give me what I wanted without investing any of myself. But God is not a vending machine. You cannot expect to live a life of freedom without investing your time. We run ourselves thin trying to get everything done and help everyone who needs help and still find time to spend with God. Just remember, it is better to sit at his feet like Mary than be too busy to connect with God like Martha (Luke 10:38-42). We need to surround ourselves with more Marys than Marthas. When you spend a lot of time with busy people it is easy to get wrapped up in the same chaotic lifestyle. Instead, spend the majority of your time with people who fill you up instead of drag you down. Choose to spend your time with people who know how to sit in the presence of God and receive his peace.


Create Priorities

I always start out the week or month with a list of things to do and great intentions. However, as time goes on I prioritize things I enjoy doing over the things I need to do. I tend to do the same thing with God. I find myself having great intentions, but always falling short of the expectations I set. I found that it was because I would rather take a nap, or read a book than spend quality time in scripture. I still did my quiet time and went to church, but I spent time I could be digging deeper doing other things. I found myself with a shallow relationship with Jesus. My schedule was full of all good things, but I ended up feeling empty because I needed to be filled up before I could fill up others.  But when I made God my first priority I found myself suddenly thriving in the other areas of my life because I chose to be filled up instead of trying to pour from and empty cup.


Love you Sisters!


MY CHALLENGE FOR YOU THIS WEEK

1.) When you find yourself focusing on the negative, turn your thoughts around to focus on the ways God blesses you.

2.) Make time this week to take a break and let your body rest. Remember you cannot love others if you do not love yourself.

3.) Spend quality time with godly friends who fill you up instead of bringing you into chaos.

4.) Make God your first priority and watch as it causes an overflow of productivity in the other areas of your life.


Comment below and let me know how it goes.