Time To Sharpen
It’s 6:30! Normally I’m not up and at my computer this early. I had some interesting thoughts while lying in bed earlier about the process of sharpening something, whether a stick, a pencil, a knife. What happens in the process of sharpening? You're taking away everything that's in the way of sharpness; everything getting in the way of the sharp point or the cutting blade. Getting rid of everything that causes dullness; everything that hinders.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1,2
Yesterday I was anything but sharp. My plan was to spend 4 hours every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on writing and doing a Bible and book study because I truly believe God is gently guiding me in the direction He wants me to go; a direction that is new for me. Instead, I decided it was a good time to go grocery shopping, and go to Hobby Lobby, and go pick up a movie for my grand-daughters for Friday's first-ever grand-daughter sleepover, and stop by Gospel Publishing House to pick up material I had ordered earlier, and go to Starbucks, and, of course, get a bite to eat while I read my novel. And of course in the middle of all that I had to keep checking e-mails, texts, Facebook and Instagram.
You see where this leads? All of it needed to be done, sort of, but by the time I got home and took care of groceries, I was exhausted. So I took a short nap. Then I delivered mail to our son and daughter-in-law and lingered to visit and enjoy little Ila. Then came home, fixed supper, ate supper and cleaned up from supper. There's absolutely nothing wrong with any of that...but...I lost my focus, my sharp edge.
All of that would have gotten done in its own time, but the mistake I made was allowing it to push aside the time, the specific time, that I believe God directed me to carve out of my week for the sharp focus He called me to. I have to ask myself the question, do I truly believe God called me to set this time aside? I'm moved to tears as I write this because I have to answer, YES! More than ever, I sense that He is directing me and sharpening me for something new. For what, specifically, I don't know. I don't need to know. I just need to be obedient.
Several years ago, when our youngest was a baby, I sensed that God wanted me to back away from a specific ministry at church for a period of time, not having a clue why. Soon after that, I got a call from the National Director of our denomination’s Girls Ministry program asking me to be on the committee with her and two other ladies to plan the complete revision and rewriting of that program! Of course, I said, yes! What an amazing opportunity that was! I hadn’t anticipated anything like that coming to me.
God knew! What an understatement. He had very specific plans for me. And He knows now what His plans are. Again, an understatement. I don't know. I don't have to know. I just have to obey and trust. But... in order to be obedient and in order to trust, I must abide. And I must throw off everything that hinders, that dulls my relationship with Him. I must fix my eyes on Jesus, the “pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
“ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit: for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15;4,5 (ESV)
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 (ESV)
And of course, this calls for the dictionary definition of abide... “to remain; continue; stay; tarry; live”.
Marching orders: abide in Him, delight in Him, trust, obey, throw off everything that hinders, allow Him to direct my path, allow Him to sharpen me for His purposes.
