Do Something

“You’re the best mommy in the world!!!” While I knew it was unlikely that my little boy had actually done any real research on the world’s best mommies, I sat back and relished my new title. What had I done to receive such a prestigious title? After a disappointing afternoon for our little four year old, Benaiah, I decided to spring for a happy meal at McDonald’s. The kids beg for a happy meals and rarely get them…we usually opt for the dollar menu and let them duke it out over the french fries…which, fittingly, they call a sad meal. But this day, Benaiah had gotten his feelings hurt. In an attempt to lighten his mood a little, I surprised the kids with the overpriced chicken nuggets and cheap toys…which worked wonders. Disappointment forgotten, Benaiah and our other son, Bez, dug into their meals squealing with excitement as they opened the toy at the bottom of the box. We finished our errands that afternoon and went back home. After the boys had run into the house and I was unloading the vehicle, imagine my surprise when I found their prized happy meal toys squashed and forgotten on the floor by the car seat. This little gift that they had been so excited about and had caused them to dub me the best mommy in the world was totally forgotten and they just went about their day as if I was just back to regular run of the mill mommy status. I probably should’ve expected it…this has happened before and it will likely happen again.

Their fleeting enthusiasm really puts things into perspective for me…first of all I knew they wouldn’t be getting another happy meal any time soon ;) But more importantly, I can look at them that day and see myself. I sense God wanting to do something new in my life, to give me a "new toy", so to speak. As exciting as it is, it's only a matter of time before it is forgotten.

A few weeks ago I heard this incredibly inspiring worship song. It talks about removing everything from your life that isn’t leading you into true devotion to God. The artist sings about living a lifestyle of worship, about canceling plans to instead spend time with God. He talks about praying until your knees have blistered, about studying the Bible and putting what you read into practice, about how anything that you give more attention to than God is an idol and should be put on the back burner while you reignite a life of worship. The song spoke deeply to me, I had it on repeat for days. I thought “this is exactly what I need! I can do this! I can make these changes! Nothing will be an idol for me anymore…God will get the best of my time and attention!!” Really moving lyrics. Really, really good intentions. But then kids had to be put to bed so the volume was turned down a little bit. I wrote in my prayer journal about how I was going to do these things, how I would make these changes. And I went to sleep. The next day I played the song again, in the background this time, maybe while I was washing dishes and folding laundry…still intending to put my focus where it needed to be. I hummed the melody while I scrolled Facebook. And now three or four weeks down the road I’m right back where I was.. The idols that were in my life that day still stand in my way today. I want God to be my main focus, I want to give Him my best, but I don’t know where to start. And so I play another game with my kids, tuck them in for the night, read the news, and go to bed. And on and on it goes. The best of intentions. Real and genuine excitement for what I was going to do. And no real results. Like the coveted happy meal toy, my “new toy” is long forgotten, shoved in a more convenient spot until I stumble across it someday and remember the great intentions I had for it.

It’s happened with sermons too. Sitting in church on a Sunday listening to the pastor preach as if he has been reading my mail. Knowing the changes I need to make and feeling the Holy Spirit speak to me so clearly that I feverishly write notes knowing that this will be a message that sticks with me. That I will look back on this day and mark it as the day that I unreservedly started giving God my best. The best of my time, the best of my efforts. The day the idols in my life came crumbling down and I started to make a difference in my little sphere of influence. And then church dismisses and we hug our friends. We gather our kids from the kid’s church and hear all about the story they learned and how they knew the answers to the questions their teacher asked. We ooh and ahh over their coloring pages and make plans for lunch on our way out the door. And the sermon starts to slip away. It’s like my resolve to implement it crumbles with every step I take toward the car and when I sit in the passenger seat I know that I heard a good sermon, but the kids are hungry and I shove my notes into the diaper bag. Three days later I’m digging in the bag for something and find my sermon notes. There are stick people drawn on one page and gum stuck to another. I just go on with my day…Errands are run and I clean up the house, bathe the kids and scroll Facebook for a few minutes before I fall into bed. And the next thing you know I’m back in church and stirred up and excited and the Holy Spirit is moving. This time it will stick. This time it won’t just be emotion. And then we walk out the door…and the “new toy” I was so excited about is kicked to the backseat and forgotten.

I’m not talking about turning your back on God. I’m not talking about blatant sin. I’m talking about the desire for growth. The need to make a change so that in a week or a year or five years I don’t look back and realize that I’m still the same person. Realize that I’ve wasted all this time when God had so much more for me. So how do you take the message from a song or a sermon or a blog and use it to make a change in your life? What do you do?

Something. Do Something. Change something.

Shut the phone off and get on your knees. Turn on worship music instead of the tv and spend thirty minutes telling God how good He is. Cancel your shopping trip or your lunch date and lock yourself away with God. Stay put until He speaks to you. Tape your sermon notes to your fridge and every time you see them put something you learned into practice. Study your Bible, then jot down something you read and mediate on it. Decide that if what you’re doing doesn’t bring you closer to God it’s not worth your spare time.

Do something. And then the next thing. You won’t stay the same. God will mold you and shape you into who He has created you to be, He’ll show you what He has created you to do. He’ll show you the next thing.