Goal #1 - Deeper Relationship with Christ

Naturally, this is a great goal for anyone to have, but this goal is a biggie for me!  I have to admit that I struggle to make Christ first when it comes to spending time with him. God really pressed it on my heart this past year in three very specific ways:

 

1. Being challenged in my faith by other Christian's views that are different than mine.

2. Finding myself repeatedly failing in having a quality quiet time.

3. Feeling like I was going through the motions with good intentions, but not getting anywhere.

 

 

So, it has been my goal to truly seek the Lord.  After all, in His word He promises that when we search for Him with all our heart, we will find Him.  (Jeremiah 29:13)  This goal is more difficult to specify because there is no specific formula for having a relationship with Christ.

 

 

But if I ask myself the 5 tips I shared in my last blog, here are the answers...

 

 

1. Does it follow God's priorities?  Yes, God should always be number one, first in all I do.   Too many times I allow the busyness of life to become my idol by pulling me away from my commitment to the Lord.

 

2. Is it a reasonable goal to accomplish with my strengths and weaknesses?

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13.  This goal pushes me and I am learning to develop ways to overcome my weaknesses and laziness.  One way is a little "quote" from Jesus that I have written and posted in my bedroom in my quiet time space.  It says, "I am looking forward to our time together" ~Jesus.  I posted this quote to remind me that not only should I be looking forward to my time with my Savior, but that He is also looking forward to spending time with me.

 

3. How will accomplishing this goal enhance the lives of those around me?  Whenever I am centered on Christ, my behavior and attitudes are so much more loving, forgiving, and accepting than when I have been centered on myself.  I am working on how to work my busy life in with the time I am spending with God...it isn't like I have spare time just hanging around, so I do have to make sacrifices of my time, and most often I am either sacrificing sleep or time playing computer games.

 

4. What support do I have in accomplishing this goal?  When I was sharing with my husband my struggle to make time for God and my desire to have a special place to meet with God, it was his suggestion to make a change in the way our bedroom was arranged to accommodate my secretary desk.  My desk in the corner with my lighthouse lamp, journal, devotion books, and bible have become my own little sanctuary.  My hubby doesn't judge me or ask me how much time I have spent with God, but he is flexible when I tell him I am going to spend time with God and doesn't make demands on my time.  Here's a quick pic of my Quiet Time space!

 

 

5. What is my specific plan of action?  This part is a little more tricky to narrow down.  I have to remain flexible, because I have found that if I create a routine for myself, it becomes more of a ritual than a relationship.  Prayer is important.  Reading my bible is important.  Listening to worship music helps.  Using my concordance and devotion books help guide me.  I am careful to avoid falling into a ritual and have been seeking the Lord's guidance in how to not just go through the motions.  Some days my mind is just so full of my mental 'to do' list or the stress of the day, that I journal about those things first before I can turn my attention to the Lord.  I am considering getting a small CD player and some more worship CDs because I am missing my worship time.  I haven't been singing like I used to and something about singing rather than just listening makes worship so much more personal!