Every day,
at least once a day—hot or cold weather—I like to sit down with a warm beverage
and relax. It can be just 20-30 minutes. As long as I have a bit of personal
time and space to unwind, enjoy a moment that is mine, and feel completely at
ease.
With no phone calls to answer, emails to reply to, or obligations to meet, I exhale. Of course, that does not mean all the demands on my time magically melt away before I retreat.
Wouldn’t that be great?
It’s just that I consciously disallow anything to infringe upon the moments I carve out to replenish myself.
Over the years, I’ve come to realize that, aside from my prayer time, study of the word of God and worship (My God time is separate from my me time), if I don’t purposely say no to outside distractions, the to-dos never stop.
Focusing on a specific thing is not an uncontested choice. Yet, it is one that I must make for the benefit of my peace of mind.
Believe me, the unending requests and infinite number of opportunities to overextend myself don’t evaporate into thin air out of respect for my needs.
It is up to me to say when I’ve had enough and choose my actions based upon my priorities.
You, my friend, have to do the same thing, especially when it comes to your divine purpose.
Even if you don’t need a midday “mental health break”—which totally depends upon the person—everyone who is serious about fulfilling destiny must, at some point, break away from the noise and clutter of life. They cannot follow the whims and flow of the crowd.
Failure to set a course and stick to it results in fragmented attention and stagnation in the areas God has called you to build, operate and work.
Earlier today on Facebook, I shared a thought that was on my heart: you can’t meet everyone’s demands and fulfill your purpose. Sometimes, you must say NO to people in order to say YES to God.
People will pull you in a million directions, won’t they?
They, just like you, have needs, wants and areas of concern. But if God is telling you to focus exclusively on one thing and you put His will on hold to take care of another thing, you’re not walking in complete obedience.
Again, saying no to people (and things) is often necessary to say yes to God.
To remind you of this truth, I’m stirring a scripture you’ve likely heard many times before into your cup of inspiration. It is found in Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV and says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
When you drink down the contents of your cup, you will remember the importance of prioritizing your life based upon the season and time you are in. In other words, whatever the Lord is compelling you to place your effort into and focus onto, be sure to obey Him.
Furthermore, anything that pulls you out of alignment with His plan for your life at this present time, get rid of it.
From today onward make your purpose your priority. Then you will see the hand of God move in your life in greater ways.
Now let’s pray.
God, when people and things compete for my time and attention, please reveal every distraction, so I can pull away from what hinders me from drawing closer to my purpose. Oh Lord, my ultimate desire is to please You in all I say and do, even if that means displeasing, disappointing, and disassociating from certain people and things to do it. I fully commit my life to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
If you need prayer, don't hesitate to request it. I would be honored to stand in faith with You. I know that prayer works. CLICK HERE to learn how to submit your prayer request.
