Call Everest Today

Laugh if you will, but every so often a few of my siblings and I will recite the Everest commercial.. "You're sittin' on the couch, life passing you by. You keep procrastinating, over and over.. maybe I'll go to school next year, maybe next semester.. No, do it right now!"
Now that means two things.. One is that I probably watch too much trashy tv, because that's when those commercials are most frequently aired, and the second is that I could certainly learn a thing or two from that.

Life is passing me by.
I mostly spent today by watching Caillou and acting petty to prove a point, did my chores, took a shower, started but didn't finish today's devotional, haven't just sat down and talked with God for a while in a day or two, but I ate ice cream, wasted time by starring at a screen and talked with a couple of my siblings. What is the meaning in that? What am I accomplishing or contributing by doing what I'm doing? Where am I going?

Matthew 6:19-21 says: ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

So if my heart is set on earthly stuff, if that's where I place my time and my life and if that's where I store my treasures, then isn't that where I'm going? Why don't I run toward more? Toward God, toward life and love and  joy? Why don't I turn away from the dead-ends, away from selfishness and on to Jesus? Why don't I accept the grace with complete abandonment to self and let God change anything He wants?

What am I waiting for?

Luke 9:23

It's been a while since I wrote my first post and haven't written since, so the plan is to just write whatever I want to tonight.
Here goes nothing:

I'm in the middle. I'm not Godless, but I'm not where my heart wants needs to be. I'm not completely empty, but I'm not full.

There's a tugging, I guess you would say, at my heart to go for more.. Fuller life, fuller heart, completely in love with my God. I remembered Luke 9:23 while doing the dishes this evening, and remembered when my church was encouraged to read it every morning. I remembered when my youth pastors wife posted it on Facebook every morning and now I kind of wish I would've listened, soaking it in and learning what God could've taught me.

"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

Merriam-Webster defines Discipleship as "one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another" so does Luke 9:23 mean that I must open my hands, letting go of my control, letting go of pride, of fear, of plans, of me? Does it mean that I must let go of those things and accept God's perfect will, accept His love, and give thanks? Not just for a day or so after getting all pumped up from a book or something, but daily, consistently, without ceasing or giving up because it looks too hard and I don't necessarily feel like keeping an eye on the taco meat for my brother, and I don't really feel like spending time with God instead of sitting in front of a screen.

Deny my sinful, flawed self, take up my cross and follow my loving God wherever He leads and all for a Greater Glory. Run as fast as I can into his outstretched arms because in Him, I am free.

So again.. Here goes nothin'.