One. Degree. At. A. Time.

As my last two posts might suggest, I've been thinking a lot about life. 

What we do with our time, what we read, listen to, or watch.

The more I think about it, the deeper I have to dig. It's not enough to scrape the surface. 

It is no longer sufficient to think about what I ought to do, but it's time to take action and actually do something. 

I've spoken about time in a general sense, but then I got to thinking specifically about my time - or rather the portion of God's time He has entrusted me with. What does my day look like? If someone were to make a surprise inspection of my day and how I spent my waking hours, what would they find? Would they find me wasting hours throughout the day on facebook? Would I be caught, yet again, sleeping instead of reading? Would I be fretting over clothes and the latest fashions? Would I be found spending all my time satisfying self instead of doing what needs to be done to help my family? 

What is it that eats my day? Productivity or laziness? 

Digging further to the heart of the matter, where do my priorities lie? 

Does my heart seek God above all else? 

Am I more interested in what God wants of me or what man thinks?

Do I look to God or man for comfort, support, and affirmation? 

What are my idols? 

Who or what is the object of my affections? 

I have realized that I often just walk though each day doing what I do and not giving much thought to what God's plan or purpose for my day is. I was so confident that helping, serving, creating, and learning at home was what God wanted me to do, that I soon stopped seeking His direction. I wanted to see the big picture, but then I thought I knew the blueprints well enough to build on my own. I stopped checking in with the Master Craftsman - the Architect. 

If I took all the time I spend wasted on me and meaningless nothings and began using it to serve in some way, I could get a lot done. How much better would it be if I used my time to be of use to someone else. Someone other than me. Something of value. Something that had eternal significance (I promise you that facebook does not fit that category). =p 

It is easy to talk big about plans and ideas of changing your life, but the hard part is actually turning those words into actions. Being willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to make the change. The change has to come from the heart and from God. There is no way anyone has the strength to make a dramatic heart-turning change in their life alone. We have to seek the Lord and ask for wisdom along the way. Ask for His help to make the change. To go the whole way. 180 degrees if necessary. 

Here goes the change. 

One degree at a time.