How to Draw Nearer to God this Lenten Season

Most of us are really busy. I'm retired and I'm still really busy. We have our daily schedules, our agendas, our plans and our projects. We like our routines, our meals and our lifestyles. These give us a kind of comfort and stability in this topsy turvy world we live in. How often have you heard yourself say this:
"I don't have enough time to ......" You fill in the blank.

The Busyness of Life 
The stuff of life can keep us so busy and so stressed out, we rarely have time to do what Stephen Covey, author of numerous best selling books including "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", calls "Quadrant 2 Activities".

Quadrant 2 activities are those activities which are important but not urgent or pressing. Some of them include planning, prevention and improvement. It includes spiritual practices such as prayer, journaling, fasting, and meditation.  These habits are all crucial to our well-being, but none of them are critical or urgent. Therein lies the crux of the problem. We are addicted to the urgent and we neglect the important, as Stephen Covey says. 

Wake up calls 
Sadly, it is not until life gets uncomfortable and some crisis happens such as a sudden illness or a job loss, a breakup, or an epidemic, that stops us dead in our tracks. It is then - maybe -  that we say "Whoa, wait a minute. Maybe I need to slow down and rethink my priorities". 

When things get uncomfortable, scary, stressful, or painful, it is time to surrender, not resist. God uses everything in our lives to make us more like him and lead us into our destinies, which is - by the way - to be more like his Son, Jesus.

These times are wake-up calls of sorts. God is trying to get our attention. He may be leading us away from certain activities, jobs, situations, places, or people. He may be trying to get us to change our attitudes and behaviors. He may even want to send us help. 

God is always trying to get our attention onto what really matters. We may resist and rationalize. When God is calling us to let something or someone go, it is important to stay with the discomfort, even when it interrupts our busy lives and messes with our agendas. God has the plan. What we need to do is let go and surrender to it.

Go With the Flow

You've heard the phrase, I'm sure. But that is easier said than done when something difficult happens. We tend to fight it, escape it or look for ways to avoid dealing with it. Yet, none of these is helpful. When difficult situations present themselves, the best thing we can do is to surrender and accept instead of denying or fighting against it. Try to deal with whatever it is in a calm and focused manner. Stressing out and getting upset never helps anybody. This is when we need the help of the Holy Spirit to come to our aid. 

Personal Story 

So my elderly mom, who lived out of state, had a few falls last year. I tried to tell her she needed daily care, but she would have none of it. Then, it happened. In February, she fell and fractured her back. She called me as the EMS team was taking her to the ER. Now, I could have freaked out, but praise God. I didn't. I said a quick prayer, stayed calm and collected and talked to her all the way to the hospital, thru the x-ray process, and back to her room, trying my best to keep myself and her calm. At least I was connected to her, even if I wasn't there physically. It is in times like these that a spiritual practice comes to our aid. 

When We Don't Understand
Life is full of mysteries. Why is my mom/son/husband/boyfriend acting like this? Why did I lose my job? Why did this happen to me? We don't always understand why things happen but we can trust that whatever it is is ultimately for our good and God's glory. When the questions whirl thru my mind like the swirling winds of March, my natural tendency is to try to figure it all out but the truth is....

We don't have to figure it out. That's our ego egging us on, stressing us out. We need not fret or worry. All we have to do is trust. Trust that God sees us. Trust that God has the answer even when we are at wits end and have tried everything. 

When we don't know what to do next, it is time to wait on God. Let go and let God as they say in recovery groups. When we don't know what to do next, like Samuel said when he heard the voice of God, we need to let God know he has our attention, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening", then listen and wait. The answer is always the same.

Come a little closer. Let that go. Trust me. 

Scripture says this: "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." (James 4:8). I often think that God allows these situations to draw us closer to him. I know I have a tendency to drift. How about you?

For Reflection 
What is it that God is working on and in you today? What is he calling you to let go of or to embrace? Are you willing to listen? To surrender? To obey? Jesus is calling you to come a little closer this season. Perhaps, like me, you sometimes get too caught up in the busyness of doing that you fail to hear the still soft voice of Jesus that beckons us to sit at his feet, just like Mary of Bethany.  

Close your eyes and listen to this song by Dierks Bentley. Jesus is saying the same thing to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVGw7FbohY4&feature=kp

If you enjoyed this post and would like to join our blog community, enter your email address in the box provided. You'll receive my weekly posts to encourage, inspire and motivate you.  I'll also send you a copy of my free e-book entitled "How to Develop a Spiritual Practice" for yourself and to share with a friend.

Do pop on over to Pinterest and check out the collection I've curated on a variety of interesting topics. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter @ArielPaz08. 

Stay tuned for more on the purpose of Lent and until next time, come a little closer!

Ariel Paz

The Magic of Margin: How to Avoid Spreading Yourself Too Thin

Are you constantly on the run? Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and don't have time to do the things that truly matter to you? Do you find yourself spending less and less time with friends and family and more time at the job or doing other activities? Breaking commitments and feeling bad afterwards? If so, you're not alone. A recent experience with a long-time high school friend demonstrated the need for a solution to this dilemma.

Some weeks can be particularly stressful and this had been one of them. I was so looking forward to getting together with a girlfriend. We had made plans about a month ago to get together to hear one of our favorite country bands at a nearby shopping mall. The week before I had an idea.

"Hey, girlfriend. Would you like to get together for dinner on Friday before the concert?"

"Hmmmm. Not sure if I will be able to make dinner. I'm driving some friends to Pennsylvania that day and it could be a long day. Ok if I let you know by 2 or 2:30 when I see how things are going?"

"Sure," I said, knowing full well there was no way she was going to make dinner if she was going on an all day trip to PA. I felt a twinge of disappointment as we both enjoy this pizza place and we hadn't been for quite a while, but I brushed it off and decided to look forward to the concert.

Long story short, my friend never made it to the concert. She was, understandably so, too exhausted from the day's trip.

Now please understand, I am writing from experience. I, too, have tried to do too much in the past until I learned about this one concept that fixed the problem once and for all. It's called Margin.

If you invest in the stock market or remember writing essays back in school, you know what I'm talking about, but in case you don't here's a basic explanation. Margin means 'leaving space'. It's a simple concept but it has huge implications.

Just as it is important to leave space on the written page, and space for the price of a stock to fall before you decide to buy it, it is even more important to leave space in our schedules between activities.  Things always take more time and more energy than we usually anticipate, especially since none of us is getting any younger. But how exactly does one build margin into one's life?

Some keys I've learned: 

1) practice saying that two-letter word "NO" and sticking to it
2) prioritize your activities, friendships, and commitments
3) put yourself first because you matter
4) don't guilt yourself into doing things you don't really want to do

We cannot say "Yes" to everything and everybody. Time is a gift to be treasured, not squandered. Scripture exhorts us to "let your yes be yes and your no be no", (Matthew 5:37). When we are clear on what we want to say "yes" to, it will be easier to say "no" to things that matter less. Stephen Covey has a whole series on this topic entitled "First Things First" if you want to read more about it.

Until next time, practice building margin into your day. Then write and share with me in the comments below how it has helped you feel more relaxed, more at peace, and more fulfilled than ever before.

If you enjoyed this post and want to join my blog community, enter your email address in the box provided. I'll also send you out a copy of my free e-guide entitled "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path". 

Stay tuned, pass this on to a friend and and remember - keep looking up!

Ariel Paz

Feel free to use and share my content but do acknowledge me as the source. Thank you!