There is something about having a fully charged phone when I’m heading out for the day. Call me crazy but it excites me when I see that my computer is fully charged, my iPad is fully charged, and my phone is fully charged. It’s a knowingness that
I. Am. Ready.
The thing is, this doesn’t always happen. More often than not, my computer’s battery is dead (the battery is pretty old), my iPad may or may not be at 100%, and my phone is anywhere between 40-100%. That’s a big range. Furthermore, I seem to have a tinge of anxiety when I’m out for the day and only then realize that my phone is hovering around the 30% mark. Suddenly I am inundated with thoughts of “is it going to die on me while I’m out? Is there anywhere I can charge it? I’ll have to make sure not to use it too much.” And it goes on and on. Being not fully charged is ok if I know that I’ll be able to plug in and charge up if needed. It becomes an issue if I’m not able to but need to.
Ladies and gents, this is very much like you and I. Our internal battery needs to be charged daily. We need to charge and recharge to be fully prepared for the day ahead. Some days we find we use a lot of juice while others we seem to be just fine. The trouble is, we don’t know what the day ahead may bring. Who we are and what we stand for occurs in between charges.
What is it that helps you recharge? For some it is spending 60 mins every day reading. For others it is taking a morning walk. And for many believers, it is taking time…making time to spend with God. All three are easy to let slip by the wayside. From the most important things, they move further down our daily to-do lists as other things start adding up. After all, we in North America, LOVE being busy. When people ask how we are doing, our typical response is to indicate our level of busyness. If we are busy, we are good. If we aren’t busy, we feel like we are doing nothing/worth nothing. Sound familiar?
Enter non-negotiables. Yes, non-negotiables. I first learned about this concept through my beautiful, extremely gifted, and soul-stirring sister Lisa Nichols. In her book “No Matter What,” she shares the importance of making certain values in our lives, non-negotiable. It’s not up for discussion. It’s not an option. It’s not a nice-to-have but a MUST-have. I wonder what are the non-negotiables in your life.
What are some things you do everyday no matter what? What if you were to stop doing them or change the frequency in which you did them? How would that affect your life and the lives of those you love and serve?
I have to admit, I am not a very nice person if I don’t have my quiet time in the morning. 15 mins or more of dedicated time with my Heavenly Father is what my soul needs and wants. I’ve gone without it and I am gone without it. I don’t seem to function properly and often feel more tense and high strung because I wonder if my internal battery will run out before my day is done.
Spending time with God fuels me up. It charges and recharges me. It brings things into perspective while also revealing the areas of my life and my self that need some TLC. His word never fails. It is a source of comfort and confidence, courage and compassion. It’s His love letter to each of us saying, “I love you this much” (imagine me stretching my arms out as wide as I can. Now imagine God doing that but note His arms are infinitely greater than mine).
God loves you and I so very much, words don’t always do it justice. And His desire is to see all of His children flourish. When we make fueling up a non-negotiable in our day, just like the energizer bunny, we will find that regardless of what life has in store for us or throws at us, “we just keep going and going and going.”
Fuelling up. Recharging our batteries. It’s about love. It’s an act of love. It’s a commitment to love. And folks, where there is love, there is life.
- Ladies (and Gents) Who ________: What’s Your Legacy? - May 15, 2018
- A Letter For Every Mother - April 17, 2018
- Dear Beautiful Soul… - March 28, 2018
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