1 Cor 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
There are so many things that pull at us each and every moment...some days I'll look back over my day and wonder what there was in it that had real value. It is so easy to get caught up in the moment, in what seems to be so critical here and now, and lose out on the truly important thing. Christians, of all people, should be purposeful in their living. We should have a grander view of our lives than just living for the here and now.
I continue to be challenged to align my life/my priorities/my time with what Christ would have me do. The "tyranny of the urgent" is so difficult to overcome especially in this day and age where we are in touch with so many things/people at all times. The verse above was a good reminder to me to not run aimlessly, but have a purpose in mind. For all of us, that purpose will take different forms as we are at different stages. But, we all need to know our purpose and work towards fulfilling it. For me a lot of that has to do with personal walk with Christ, raising my kiddos to know who God is, supporting my husband, and ministering to those in my sphere of influence.
I'm always so thankful for the direction God gives us in His Word...that He doesn't leave us to flounder about by ourselves trying to figure it out. When we pare down our lives to what He says is important, so much that presses at us is no longer as critical. And, so much that is easy to overlook becomes a point of focus. May we all do better at being purposeful as we see our lives through God's eyes.
