Loose living... it's a phrase I've always associated with bawdy saloon wenches, or numerous other seedy and salacious characters! But lately, God has been opening my eyes to the fact that we can all be guilty of living loosely.
For many years, I've eaten whatever I wanted, ignoring the fact that some of my food choices are negatively impacting my health. Plenty of times, I've made split-second financial decisions without care for the consequences. And in most things, I've adopted the ostrich strategy- stick the head in the sand, and pretend the problem doesn't exist. These are all examples of how we can live loosely in our personal lives. The results of this kind of living are unfruitfulness, decay, lost opportunities, pain and regret. In extreme (although not rare!) circumstances, neglect can even result in bankruptcy, disease and death.
Well, it seems God has taken my desire to be "Not the Same in 2008" very seriously, and has jumped on board with me to help me change inwardly, to begin to 'give a hoot' about the things God has given me. Each day, I'm thinking about things which I need to give a hoot about; things which I've previously relegated to my two hefty baskets. (One basket is labelled 'To Do... One day!' The other is called 'Too Hard!') God is challenging me that it's time for me to take action, and to begin to care about the things that are in the 'too hard basket'.
The book of Proverbs is a good reminder of the values of diligence, prudence, self-control that God wants to grow in our lives. Over the coming weeks, I will look in detail at some of the things I am being challenged to care more about. If you, like me, struggle in this area of your life, I challenge to come with me on this journey. Let's delve into the scriptures, and our daily life challenges, and begin to really care for what God has placed into our hands.
After much fiddling, I've come up with a little button for our blogs. Now let's see if I'm clever enough to give you the right code to not only paste the button on your blogs, but to link it back to my own!! Here we go...
I will be posting again soon on my first topic... we'll see what comes up first!
Until next time, think about the many things God has given you, and how He wants you to care for them!
Blessings,
