Like clockwork, every April this tree gives me a reminder to fix my focus. More specifically:
“A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.” -Proverbs 11:28
I am all for focused intensity and striving for excellence in every facet of our lives; but if we’re not serving Christ, we have nothing.
If I’m crushing it in my career but I’m not serving Christ, I have nothing. If I’ve got wonderful friends but I’m not serving Christ, I have nothing. If I’m a devoted parent but I don’t teach my kids to know Christ, I have nothing. If I enjoy the pleasures of this world but I’m not serving Christ, I have nothing. My life is like a dead stump.
It’s only through serving God that we can truly lead open, free, spacious, flourishing, fulfilled lives!
I’m not saying all those other things are worthless; not at all. What I’m saying is that true fulfillment only comes when those things are in their proper position, which is secondary to our relationship with God. If we make anythingelse #1 in our lives, we’re out of alignment.
Are you antsy about something in your life? Does something seem off or out of place? Don’t look inside yourself to try and figure it out, look to Him.