In times of stress, we yearn for things to settle down--to become "normal" again.
But what do we do when things are normal? Is it a state of life a kin to tumbleweed blowing through a dusty western town? Do we just wait for the next big stressor? Do we live it up while we have the chance? Do we worry about what's around the corner? Do we get ancy when we can't even see the corner yet?
As I read I Kings 4 today, these thoughts came to mind because everything seemed "normal" for King Solomon. He had everything he wanted from a material standpoint, he was the world's wisest man, he had 1,000 special someones (seems like a dumb idea for the world's wisest man, but I won't judge...), he was king of a united kingdom, and there was peace in all the land around him. Given the usual OT stories of bloodshed and dissension, things seemed unnormally "normal."
In some ways, my life feels pretty "normal" now. Sure, I have 1,000 less special someones in my life than Solomon, but on the whole, things are calm and all seems to be well. Now what do I do? God laid it on my heart this morning to take advantage of this downtime to get things in order. I felt convicted not to just rest easy and "check-out" since life seems to be on auto-pilot.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating a burning-the-candle-at-both-ends kind of lifestyle...that's exactly what I'm trying to discipline myself against! However, I do not want to be lulled to sleep during this period of my life. I don't know what's around the corner, but I want to be prepared for what God has for me. I want to be actively involved in seeking Him, edifying others, and preparing myself for whatever lies ahead. That way, when it's go-time, I'm all systems go!
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Good thoughts J. I've struggled through this time before earlier in 2007. I was itching to serve God, and was trying hard not to tell him how he was going to use me. For me, I realized it's not about what I'm doing next, it's about staying faithful. I realized God is still using this time as much as other times, by simply calling me to know him better through my quiet times. I've thought him saying "Jamie don't worry about what I'm going to do, just focus on knowing me in your quiet time today, that's my will for you."
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