My pastor said something a few weeks back that really stuck. He said we believe in the things Jesus said and did and what the Bible says… but do we do the things that Jesus said and what the Bible says? Let’s get real. We typically don’t. We go about our days believing all of these things, but do we act on them? We live in a world that is on the go, and it’s as if we’re in competition with others as to how busy we are. Because in our culture, it seems as though the busier we are, the more successful we are.
Even though our world is in chaos right now with the Coronavirus, I know that God didn’t cause it; but did he allow it? Did he allow it to happen to recalculate us? Before I used my phone as a GPS, I used a Garmin in my vehicle; and when I would start going the wrong way, the GPS would say, “Recalculating.” Then it would reroute me to get back on track. Maybe God is allowing this to happen—maybe it’s a roadway to recalculate us to get back on track, to dive into prayer, to read his word—I mean really contemplating it, not just casually reading it. If you’re like me and you’ve had extra time on your hands, can we actually take time to study and consume the Word? When we aren’t rushed from one thing to the next? We have been forced to slow down. And now we’re spending time with our spouses and our kids and finding ways to do things as a family. People are getting creative about how to connect with others, having family and friend Zoom calls or group Marco Polo chats, playing games over video calls, writing letters to people, encouraging neighbors with sidewalk chalk, shopping for the elderly, and the list goes on and on. Maybe, just maybe, something good is going to come out of this whole thing.
But let’s get back to what my pastor said. Are we truly doing what Jesus said and what the Bible says, or are we just living a casual Christian life? Are we believing in our hearts but not having any fruit come from it—or are we producing lasting fruit? His message that day really convicted me; I wondered about how often we go to the store or a park and see someone who seems to be struggling or injured, and we just pass them by. Do we even give them a thought? Jesus said to heal the sick. Well, are we? Or do we just think it’s a great concept—we pass by the stranger because we don’t want to look like a fool? Do we walk around thinking and worrying about ourselves instead of what God is doing and asking of us?
His Word is the ever-breathing life. The way and the truth and the life. If we believe all the things that are written in the Bible, then why don’t we walk them out daily? The Word tells us to love the Lord your God with ALL of your heart and to love your neighbor. Do we even know our neighbors’ names? Have we taken the time to learn about them? And if we love God with All of our hearts, does he have it? Is he the first thing that we go to when we wake up in the morning? When we get bored? Is he the one who is always on our minds? Are we walking in love? Or are we allowing the weight of the world and the stress of things around us to affect our spirits? What captivates our time? What do we give our all to? Is it God? Or is it TV, video games, social media? Now those things aren’t necessarily bad. But do we give ourselves to them?
At one point today, I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to stop everything that I was doing and to just start praying—to really pray and to pray in front of my kids and husband, to pray in the spirit, to intercede for those I don’t even know. But I was too afraid of what they would think if I did that. I was even fearful of what my own family would think.
During Easter, I had time on my hands because of the Coronavirus. I had a lot of time to think and meditate on where I’d been putting my energy and my time. And I hadn’t been giving Jesus my all. I don’t want to come off as a Super-Christian, but I have been giving social media and TV my time. They’ve been getting a lot of my time lately! God wants our all! He wants our hearts and our minds. So, are we ready to get real with God? Are we willing to truly give him our all? Coronavirus or not? And at the drop of a hat to stop everything that we’re doing and start praying wherever we are? Are we there? For me, I want to be. But I’m not. I want to be willing to let go of the things of this world and dive into what truly matters, spending time with our King. He is my everything, and I want to give him that, no matter what the circumstances.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” Luke 10:27 NIV
Some may see Carrie Curran as a quiet introvert with not much to say – on one side she would agree. On the other, she loves to hear the matters of other’s hearts, a life-long passion of hers. Carrie loves to learn and understand what makes people tick including their passions. She is a wife, mother, and follower of Jesus. For the moments she feels less reserved, she shares her heart in her blog.
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