As some of you may know, I like to give myself personal challenges. The challenges are random and often nonsensical, often not lasting any longer than a month or 40 days (during Lent). If you're wondering why I do this, the truth is simply that I like trying new things, having temporary sacrifices of things I like, and I get bored. Sadly, not all my "challenges" are spiritual fasts... like I said, I just get bored.
Most recently, I challenged myself to be a vegetarian for the month of August. I gave up all meat, fish, and poultry for 31 days. It was difficult but I did benefit from the education I had to acquire in order to maintain a reasonably healthy meat-free lifestyle. I believe that with more work (and money, haha) I would be able to continue a meat-free existence. But not now. Bring on the bacon! :-)
When contemplating what challenge I should experiment for September (yes, apparently I'm bored again), one of my friends said that she once gave up the snooze button.
I wonder if you have the same puzzled look on your face right now that I did when she said this.
I asked her, "why would you give up the snooze button? How could you benefit from eliminating your secondary alarm?!"
Because she is a very wise young woman, she responded with something along the lines of: "I realized that if I need to wake up at six, I should be waking up at six instead of setting my alarm for 5:30 and hitting the snooze button for 30 minutes. In reality, I can discipline myself to wake up on time - the first time my alarm goes off. Besides that, what other areas in my life am I hitting the proverbial 'snooze button?' I don't want to become lazy."
Her words hit home.
I realized that, in many ways, I'm a "spiritual snoozer." I procrastinate my tithing, my good intentions of service, prayer, and of proving myself as a workman for the Lord. I do this almost daily. Isn't it time that I challenge myself to give up the snooze?
Hebrews 6:12 says: "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."
So my September challenge is to begin quitting my nightly habit of falling asleep watching television and also my morning habit of waking up to the television. This will get me on my way to hearing my alarm the first time and not waiting around for my second and third alarms to go off. Let's be efficient in our habits and eager to serve the Lord each day!
Most recently, I challenged myself to be a vegetarian for the month of August. I gave up all meat, fish, and poultry for 31 days. It was difficult but I did benefit from the education I had to acquire in order to maintain a reasonably healthy meat-free lifestyle. I believe that with more work (and money, haha) I would be able to continue a meat-free existence. But not now. Bring on the bacon! :-)
When contemplating what challenge I should experiment for September (yes, apparently I'm bored again), one of my friends said that she once gave up the snooze button.
I wonder if you have the same puzzled look on your face right now that I did when she said this.
I asked her, "why would you give up the snooze button? How could you benefit from eliminating your secondary alarm?!"
Because she is a very wise young woman, she responded with something along the lines of: "I realized that if I need to wake up at six, I should be waking up at six instead of setting my alarm for 5:30 and hitting the snooze button for 30 minutes. In reality, I can discipline myself to wake up on time - the first time my alarm goes off. Besides that, what other areas in my life am I hitting the proverbial 'snooze button?' I don't want to become lazy."Her words hit home.
I realized that, in many ways, I'm a "spiritual snoozer." I procrastinate my tithing, my good intentions of service, prayer, and of proving myself as a workman for the Lord. I do this almost daily. Isn't it time that I challenge myself to give up the snooze?
Hebrews 6:12 says: "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."
So my September challenge is to begin quitting my nightly habit of falling asleep watching television and also my morning habit of waking up to the television. This will get me on my way to hearing my alarm the first time and not waiting around for my second and third alarms to go off. Let's be efficient in our habits and eager to serve the Lord each day!
1 comments:
Great words, Katie! Good for you to push yourself "spiritually," and not just "physically." We seem to spend an inordinate amount of time fussing over our diets and our physical condition. But, where's the same concern for our spiritual conditioning and spiritual diets? In light of eternity, those are way more important than what we eat and how we look now! Love you!
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