Time for an Overhaul

Do you ever stand in the middle of your house and think, "this old place has stayed the same for too long now," and your mind starts whirring with all sorts of ideas? Paint, flooring, rearranging furniture, adding accent pieces, and so on. I think it's in our nature - too much sameness just doesn't sit right.

The same can be said of our spiritual lives. God doesn't want us to camp out in a place of total comfort and lack of change - at least not for too long. He calls us to change and grow, to allow our discomfort to reshape us. (If anyone reading has a good Scripture reference I can add here, your help would be appreciated.)

I talked about complacency not long ago, and I sensed it was just the beginning of something God wanted to do in my heart. There are so many things in my life that I have allowed to just stay the same (even though I have known they are not meant to be the way they are).

Today marks the first day of my overhaul. You see, lack of self-discipline is contagious in my life - once I let it slip in one area it's just a matter of time before it begins to slide in other areas. Therefore, I am implementing a little self-discipline boot camp in my life.
* No more hitting the snooze button. Get up when the alarm goes off to get my quiet time. (After all, it's not really quiet time with the Lord when there are five children clamouring for breakfast.)
* No more overeating or filling my body with junk. Food was designed to be enjoyed, certainly, but also to provide strength and energy so that the body can run like a well-oiled machine. Filling a machine with grease and salt and loads of sugar just clogs everything up - the body becomes more of a garbage truck than anything.
* Time to start exercising with intentionality. No, I won't be running a marathon any time soon. But I will be taking time to move my body and get my heart rate going at least a few times each week.
* I will also be re-focusing on my Siesta Scripture Memory verses. I've gotten sidetracked, and my last 3 verses are jiggling around like jello in my brain. I need them to be cemented in there.
* Re-evaluating the budget and sticking to it. Feeling less financial strain does not mean I should not still be carefully guarding the money God has provided us.
* Being intentional about giving of myself in my marriage (I am going to use The Love Dare to help me with this).
* Remaining diligent in dealing with discipline issues for our children.
* Sticking to the schedule I've given myself for housekeeping, ministry tasks, and so on (a schedule I created based on all this feedback).
* Assigning the children household tasks so that they can be trained in the fine art of keeping up a house, and eventually become active participants with a sense of mastery over their tasks.
* I'm sure I'll think of a few other things I have been completely lacking self-control in...

I know if I read such a list from someone else, in the past I might be inclined to suggest that she try "just one or two" things at a time. But I have observed something interesting in people lately - they are either self-disciplined or not. I have seen few people who are well-disciplined in some areas and out-of-control in others. I believe that - through God's strength and empowering - I can switch camps. But I believe it needs to be a total transformation of virtually all aspects of my life.

My goal: to be reverent in the way I live, to not gossip, to not drink excessively, to teach what is good; to be a model to younger women by loving my husband and my children, being self-controlled and pure, being busy at home, being kind, and being submissive to my husband. (from Titus 2:3-5)