I went past the field of a sluggard,
past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? Matthew 16:26
If I am to keep my vineyard free of thorns and weeds, then I must first be free of them myself and I must be seeking God with my whole heart or the walls will eventually crumble. So now, when I feel the familiar feeling of being overwhelmed setting in, I know that I am guilty of relying on myself more than God. So often, I hear comments like, "I don't know how you do it" and I think, "I don't do it-I can't do it." If things are running smoothly in our home, then it is purely by the grace of God and His strength within me. If it's not going well-well then you know I need to spend some more time with God.
I've talked a lot on this blog about how God has used our adoption journeys to grow our hearts in ways we never dreamed and how He has shown Himself to be faithful and sufficient in meeting all of our needs. We have relied fully on Him during these times more than any other in our lives-I mean how else do explain the peace we had in making the decision to adopt one more after only being home for 7 months with the girls? It was us totally trusting God and saying YES when He called us to it.
Today at church, our pastor made the point that another reason why the "vineyard" goes down hill is because we put off the things that God is calling us to do TODAY. We don't say "yes" even when we know we should because we're afraid that WE can't do it right now (and the truth is, we can't unless we're relying on Him). We don't actually say, "I'm never going to do that." We just say, "Not yet" or "Now's not the time" or "I can't do that until...." Putting God's call off until we think it makes sense or until we are ready sets us up to miss out on the "daily bread" God has for us along the way.
We have all been given the opportunity of a lifetime. Each one of us has the opportunity to live out our lives in the freedom of God's will, walking down the path He has chosen for our lives. When we recognize each day as one more day to take a step towards God, instead of neglecting our vineyard and procrastinating God's call, we'll begin to experience and enjoy the blessings along the way.
What is God telling you to do TODAY?
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11