Priority Shift

Mordecai, the Jew, was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of the Jews.  Esther 10:3

It is in those coveted still hours of the morning when all is quiet in the house that I find it easiest to devote myself and my time to God.   What I really love are those moments when the Lord causes a paradigm shift that totally flips my thought life, causing radical life change.  Such a time was this.

I was finishing up Chapter 10 of the book of Esther and found myself spontaneously praying that I could learn to do the right thing in adverse situations so that I could also have the reward of elevation like God did for Mordecai.  Then, the Holy Spirit convicted me and pointed out the fact that Mordecai, Queen Esther's biological cousin and adoptive father, received his elevation because his actions were in service to God and his people.  The elevation was a natural overflow of righteous living.

I need to get my priorities in order.  

God first.

Simply because He is God.

Sometimes, we seek to be elevated but God desires that we follow Him.  That we do what's right simply because it pleases Him.  In relationships, we study our loved ones to find out what pleases them and we put that thing on repeat because we desire that relationship with them.  We crave their happiness because it inspires our own happiness.

God wants us to do the same for Him. That, alone, should be our heart's motivation.

To do what is honorable because it furthers our relationship with Him.  Then, He will elevate us if He chooses, but that is just the icing on an already rich and decadent cake.  I can't afford to miss out on the deliciously moist richness of the cake itself, because I'm too busy trying to get to the icing.

Life Change Challenge: One Step at a Time

So I was going to keep moving forward with this life change challenge.  Originally, my idea was to choose something once a week.  I've been able to push forward with certain areas, but this sleep thing has me a little stumped.  I'm not expecting perfection, but I definitely want to see improvement.

One of the purposes of this challenge is to share what I am learning as I go along.

What I'm learning right now is sometimes it's okay to stop.  Even when I am making a lifestyle change, sometimes there are other changes, some prerequisites if you will, that need to be mastered before I can really get into that change. 

And that's okay.  It's okay to expose my imperfections  To admit that I am not perfect in this thing.  That I don't have it all together and down pat.  That's the whole entire point of this Life Change Challenge.

Yet, I struggle with wanting to share all of this with you guys because I didn't want to seem like I wasn't  being successful.  But, the reality is I'm not.  I'm learning and I'm growing and there is no failure in learning and growth unless I quit. 

I'm breaking this thing down into smaller segments because we all know how you eat an elephant.  One bite at a time.  So, I'm just going to slow down, get my strategy together, and advance on my enemy in minute steps.  As long as I continue to move forward I will win this war on sleeplessness.

I'm reworking this life challenge as I go along because this is about the challenge of  changing my life; of making my life better.  If I need to slow down in some areas, I will.  This week, I'm going to focus on cutting technology off by 9:00.  That is my hard and fast rule.  My cell phone stays on all night for safety reasons, but it will no longer be used for facebook, internet, or to do lists.  Anything beyond that point will just have to be done on paper. 

One step at a time.