If someone were to ask me what household item best describes me, I know what I would say. I know this partly because I once had the opportunity to answer this question. I was meeting with a small group of people, reading through a book together, and one of the discussion questions was this very one. My answer? A sewing machine. Because I am drawn toward trying to mend or fix things and I also love creating things.
When it comes to fixing things, I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this tendency. Don't many of us spend a lot of our days trying to fix the problems we see around us? On some level, I suppose it can be a good thing to try to fix things. Problem solving is a life skill that all of us need to learn to some extent just for day-to-day living. When I'm supposed to meet someone at a place I've never been before, let's hope I have enough problem-solving skills to figure out how to find directions and make it there on time. Or if my daughter's shoelaces are tied in a knot, I may need to take some time to undo the knot so she can get her shoes on.
The problem with problem solving, though, is that sometimes we get carried away. We think we need to solve ALL the problems ALL the time for ALL the people. Or honestly, maybe we even get overwhelmed trying to conquer our own little set of problems! Either way, we feel the weight of all the pressure we are putting on ourselves. We think, look at all these problems. I have got to figure out how to fix them because if I don't I'll be letting so many people down. Pressure, pressure, and more pressure.
To top it all off, we are setting ourselves up for failure and frustration. When we constantly operate under the pressure of fixing everything, we are bound to fall short. We will never be able to fix it all. We aren't meant to fix it all.
So what are we to do then? I like the advice Max Lucado gave when someone asked him about his success as a writer. He said that he continually tells himself, "Just try to get on base. Don't try to hit a home run." How about that? Imagine the freedom you would experience if, in the game of life, you were just trying to get on base! Sure, it's good and exciting and wonderful when you hit a home run. But if you will only ever feel satisfied when you hit a home run, you might be missing out on a whole lot of grace and peace. And who knows if that pressure you are putting on yourself might just end up rubbing off on the people around you too.
Let's be people who work hard and are diligent. Let's not "just try to get on base" in order to take the easy way out. But at the same time, maybe we can let go of the idea that home runs are the only things that count. Maybe this principle can even help us in our prayers. If a home run would be spending two solid hours in prayer, maybe getting on base is simply pausing to pray the Lord's Prayer when you get out of bed in the morning or before you go to bed at night.
How can you get on base today? Or if you're a parent or teacher, how can you encourage your kids to get on base? Who knows, maybe the more we practice getting on base, the more likely it is that one of these times, we'll actually end up with a home run.
Pray with me...
... Father, help each of us in the ACSD community know what it means for us to "get on base"
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2
... Lord, may we encourage each other and celebrate our wins - big and small
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24
... God, make us a community that is faithful and lead us in the way You want us to go
The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and pray for Alliance Christian School District! Lord willing, I plan to publish a new blog post weekly throughout the school year. Feel free to subscribe (at the bottom of this page) if you'd like to be notified each time a new blog post has been published. We also have a prayer team that is always open for new pray-ers to join. If you'd like to learn more, email me at cwarner@alliancechristian.org.
~ Carrie Warner, ACSD Prayer Team Coordinator
Soli Deo Gloria
To God alone be the glory
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