Tag: clear

A Gentle and Quiet Heart

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment

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When I am neglectful of my quiet time, the first place it shows up is in my negligence with others.  Luke 6:26~Her mouth speaks from that which fills her heart.  It is so important for me to evaluate the contents of my heart daily.  When I fail to do this, I am susceptible to an unsettled and unkind heart.  Just a few things that prevent a gentle and quiet heart for me are fear, anxiety, worry, control (which are all unbelief), anger, unforgiveness, unconfessed sin, fatigue, and lastly a need for people to understand me.  These are all explanations but must never be excuses.

Father, my heart is susceptible to clutter. When I fail to recognize it and bring it all to you; I inexcusably give it to others. Actualize in me a keen awareness of what is taking refuge in my heart so I may rest in your strength to transform the unholy into holy. Remind me that many of these things that unsettle my heart are about me elevating myself and excluding you. It is so easy in my the makings of my days to forget to call on you as my director instead of my default. May your name be the song of my lips so that I readily enact you in times of praise and pandemonium. Thank you for loving me in all my messiness. Amen.

Vertical Vision

- dannalundstrom

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When I have an issue, I do not have time for or do not want to address, I ignore it as if it will go away.  That senseless strategy only works for a limited time.

My vision is the perfect example.  I have glasses for distance that I have used intermittently for several years.  Now I require the aid of readers for smaller, up close print.  I know I need bifocals, but it has been easier to neglect that fact than to address it.

Yesterday I happened to have my readers on when I pulled out my iPhone to look at a text message.  I have the 6 Plus, so the screen and font are bigger, but when I viewed my phone with the advantage of my readers, it was like a whole new world opened up before me.  A crisp, clear, bright and beautiful world.  I did not realize how bad I had been struggling until that moment when my world was brought into focus.  Wow!  What a difference.

It occurred to me that this is not only representative of vision for daily tasks but also daily living.  When I become overwhelmed, exhausted or distracted, I am vulnerable to neglecting my “gospel glasses” that aid vertical vision.  That is always to my detriment because without them my life becomes blurry, unfocused, and I struggle to make sense of things.  Possibilities appear small, and my insufficiencies great.

Why would I want to navigate life with an obscured perspective?  There is a whole new world, a whole new life available when I see things through a lens focused on biblical truths.  To live life out of focus is to miss out on so much beauty and clarity that is available to me.

I am grateful for the reminder that played out before me yesterday.  Perspective makes all the difference.  May we not forget to put on our glasses every day, friends.

Matthew 6:22-23~ Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light.  But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!