Our time at CGA has just wrapped up and I can’t wait to fill you guys in on what my life is looking like, what’s next, and all of the things! But in the meantime, I thought I would share a lesson the Lord has been teaching me lately.
A few weeks ago (maybe even a month ago!! where is the time going??) each apprentice did a “final teaching” where individually, we picked topics and taught for 45 minutes each on that topic; and this was mine.
Urgency is something Abba has been talking to me about quite a bit and I thought I would share. Obviously, this is a written version of my lesson and isn’t my full presentation and I even included some of my notes! Enjoy.
Leading with Focus and Intention
We’ve heard Ben say it about a million times; “if everything is urgent, then nothing is urgent.” And he’s expanded on this a few times. I’m going to be diving deeper into what extreme urgency looks like; what the opposite extreme looks like; and what the Lord has to say about both.
God has really been teaching me about this since before the Race but has definitely shown me so much more in the season that I’m currently in.
The sense of everything or nothing being urgent is a cultural struggle too. We live in a society that is deeply invested in instant results, instant access, and immediacy. The two main expectations of our young people are usually to graduate, get a degree that will make money, go to work (at a REAL job), retire when you’re old, OR the opposite; “live your life” and forget the norms of adulthood.
And from this, we get 2 extreme opposing views:
We’re on the go all the time! We are more anxious and don’t have time for anything because we just took on everything. We must say yes to EVERYTHING and EVERYONE out of fear of letting people down or being seen as uncaring, unloving, and a slew of other negatives.
And, sadly, we call this “adulting” or, in the Christian circles, “ministry.”
OR—
We run from all obligations and responsibilities and become a figurative Simba; living a life of perpetual “Hakuna Matata” and expecting our responsibilities and the world to fix itself; saying “no” to everyone and everything for fear of not being able to handle it, of hurting people and letting people down.
And, sadly, we call this “boundaries” or, in the Christian circles, “rest.”
But, see, both of these extremes are born from a place of fear; and both just give birth to more fear.
Chances are; we’ve either experienced one form or the other and have either followed the same behavior or ran in the opposite direction.
Ministry, rest, boundaries, and even “adulting,” when used from a place of health and freedom are powerful, beautiful, God-given things.
When using those words to live from a place of fear and poverty; they cause burnout, bitterness, more fear, and complacency.
So how do we find a balance between the two? How do we find the “both/and?”
Well, for starters, we should look at what the Word says about urgency and slowing down.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
- Understand that everything has a place and should be given appropriate space.
- Every so often, we come to a season where Holy Spirit may only ask us to tackle only one thing; but most times, there are probably going to be a few things going on at once and we need Him to figure out which ones take the top priorities.
- Psalm 25:12
- What if we really did wake up daily and ask Holy Spirit to show us what today’s focus was supposed to be or what needed more attention.
- Luke 10:38-42
Martha invited Jesus in and then busied herself with making sure everything was perfect instead of getting to know the man she invited into her home. How many times do we do that? Not just with Jesus, but with people, experiences, and so many other things in our lives?
Martha wasn’t wrong because she was cleaning and cooking and being hospitable. She was just choosing to put things in the wrong priority.
There are several more scriptures in relation to this topic and I encourage you to look into them!
Additionally, when we stop and take time to commune with our Father on a consistent basis, we also slow down long enough to hear what He has to say, how He’s working, and we can partner with Holy Spirit to bring Kingdom to the urgent and not so urgent places of our lives.
- Stop for a minute and ask yourself and the Lord about which extreme you tend to fall into.
- Ask Him how it’s been affecting you and the environments you are a part of and if there’s anything you need to repent of.
Challenge
- If you tend to live out of a pattern of everything being urgent; spend 24 hours with your phone powered off (unless using it for important phone calls or navigation); instead, be present with the people in your space. Being intentional with conversations, places, people, and time.
- If you tend to live out of a pattern of nothing being urgent, say yes to 2-3 new people, opportunities, things, or places.
Start living life knowing who you belong to: you belong to the Father and He has more than enough. Enough time, enough energy, enough gifts, enough of EVERYTHING. We have got to stop living from a place of lack.
