For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.
1 Corinthians 3:11-13
I wanted to go for a walk the other day. It was a pretty night, and the trees were beautiful. I just thought it sounded like fun. But I never did… Before I ever left, I thought to myself, “Well, what could I do while walking to make that time productive? What could I think about or pray about to justify my time away from family? What could I pray about that’s important? Or maybe I could think up a grocery list in my head. Oh never mind, I can find something else to do that will be a better use of my time.” This was my thought process, and I’m guessing I am not the only one who does this to themselves. I completely forgot about the fact that a walk sounded “fun,” and I reasoned it out of my head because I couldn’t find enough ways to make it productive.
But what could possibly have happened if I had actually gone on that walk with absolutely no agenda or pre-planned purpose? How could God have used those sweet moments to just walk with me if I had gone with an open and clear mind and without a self-centered need to feel accomplished? It is good to be intentional, to plan, to be creative with our moments. God instilled in us a unique ability to bring meaning to our moments. However, we have taken this to the extreme and have begun to manipulate each moment so much that we actually end up taking meaning out of them. We try to pack our days so full that we end up losing sight of the potential for what each day could bring. And it’s not just about what the day can do for us. It’s about embracing each day for what it is, and allowing God to fill it with His purpose for His glory, our growth, and the spreading of His goodness for others. It is true that we only have today. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. We should absolutely make the most of it. But there should not be pressure that comes with that truth. For then, we inevitably take control into our own hands and strive in our own strength to fill every moment with what we deem or what the world deems to be meaningful.
1 Corinthians 3:11-13 says, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.” I love this verse because I think too many times, I try to build my own foundation, not recognizing it has already been built. And then I believe anything that could be built upon this foundation that would have any value, like gold, silver or costly stones would have to be done completely in His strength alone. As we learn who we are in our new nature, we give ourselves more freely to the life “He” wants to live in us. We give our minds over to His reasoning and our moments over to His Lordship. We begin to understand that we are saved by grace, but that also live there after by His grace as well. We stop trying to “produce” value, and instead, we embrace the value that He brings to our lives.
If we want our moments to count, then we must stop factoring and figuring and formulating. We must start living in complete awe and wonder of His beauty allowing Him to magnify Himself in His own way and bring His meaning to our lives. If we could recognize that nothing we could ever do could make Him love us more, then we might start enjoying that love more instead of trying to earn it. Go on that walk! Ride that roller coaster. Jump out of that airplane. Read that book, or write that book. Go on that coffee date. Sit in front of that sunset and see what happens. And if it seems like nothing came of it except that it was fun…that may have been all God wanted for you in that moment. When we surrender, we experience meaning; when we strive, we extinguish it.
Your fellow Able Mom,
Celeste Claborn
Heavenly Father, thank you for your unconditional love for me. Help me to remain alert to not miss a moment of what you have for me. I want to always keep my focus on you and not be distracted by the busyness of the world and its expectations of me. I surrender my day to you.
Connect with Celeste:
Email: cclaborn23@gmail.com
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