I also love how we use the phrase, “It dawned on me.” It is like one way of thinking fades and another way of thinking comes to light. The shadows give way to clarity and meaning.

Learning to live fully alive in Jesus is like the dawn. It does not happen in a flash, all of a sudden. Our growth is gradual, subtle, and in small increments. Most of the time we are completely unaware of it. Yet, darkness continues to give way to light.

Your commitment to make small Jesus-like decisions over time will cause tremendous growth in your life. It will affect every aspect of who you are. Those who know you will notice the change without you even trying. Like a city on a hill cannot hide, so God in your life will be seen.

I want you to be encouraged as you renew your commitment to go deeper as a follower of Jesus. Remember that we are taking our time and consistently turning ourselves over to the Lord. He is the one who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:21).

Today’s Assignment

Spend some time thinking about where you were at this time last year. Where were you spiritually? How has life changed for you? What new insights have you received? How has the light of Christ dawned in your life?

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” ~ Matthew 5:14-16

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If you are like me, you have amazing intentions to do great and meaningful things this year. I love new beginnings and starting over. And I’ve actually accomplished quite a bit of good in the Januaries of my life! I just need to translate that greatness to the other eleven months of the year.

As I consider this struggle, I think my resolutions tend to overlook a basic trait I have that is common to all humanity: I am lazy by nature. I don’t naturally do things that are hard or difficult. It is not natural for me to enjoy the hard work it takes to do something significant. I want it to be easy and would love pixie dust to handle all the difficult tasks I have to do to make an impact on the world!

To take this further, I don’t believe I’m alone in my proclivity toward laziness. Even the most productive, high-performance, impactful people on the planet don’t naturally get up everyday to enjoy another 4am workout, to make that next call, to say “no” to the juicy burger, or to tackle that next challenge in front of them. Believe it or not, they are lazy by nature, too.

Look at professional athletes (to take just one example). We know they are lazy because we see what happens to them after they leave the sport. While they are performing, sure they have systems around them that help make it easier to stay in shape. They have coaches. They have teammates. They are in a place that promotes their performance goals.

But, without a system around them helping them stay in good shape, they take the easy route. They leave the sport and—because they are lazy like the rest of us—they no longer do what it takes to stay in shape…and we can see it. Just look up before and after pictures of Michael Jordan or Mike Tyson.

So…here’s the point: If we naturally gravitate toward doing what is easy, our job is to leverage our laziness to help us.

We can do that a couple of ways. First, make it easy to do the things that matter to us. Since we are lazy by nature, we’ll end up doing those things more. I eat better when I have quick snacks ready to go in baggies, portioned out, or cut up. If my workout clothes are already laid out with my shoes, it is easier for my lazy self to say, “Yes!”

Second, make it hard to do things we want to avoid. If spending is a problem, I can literally freeze my credit cards in a block of ice. It better be worth it for me to spend the time to get that one out. To cut down on my TV time, I can take the batteries out of the remote(s) and put them on a shelf in the garage. Since I’m lazy, I’m probably not going to get up every single time. This is especially true since I already put my open Bible right there on my arm rest. I might as well go ahead and read a few more chapters.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” –Ephesians 5:15-17

The post A Strategy for My Lazy Self appeared first on Postcards Magazine.

Indeed, most of us know that prayer is an important part of living as Jesus’ disciples. At the same time, we—like Jesus’ first disciples—say, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). We all need some guidance as we spend time in prayer.

As good as praying for others is, prayer is more than just going through a list of prayer requests that involve various ailments from someone else’s aunt’s mother’s brother’s co-worker. Prayer is about transforming us from the inside out.

Foster says, “In prayer, real prayer, we begin to think God’s thoughts after him: to desire the things he desires, to love the things he loves, to will the things he wills. Progressively, we are taught to see things from his point of view.”

Like children, we come before God. Simple. Honest. Vulnerable. If prayer is something that we have to learn, our attitude needs to be like someone who is learning something new. It means we are students, kids open to try a new thing and willing to explore. In this manner, let us explore easing into the frontier of prayer.

Today’s Assignment

Find a good place where you can be quiet for 15-20 minutes without distractions to interrupt your prayer time with God.

Then, spend then entire time (except for the last 5 minutes) simply quieting your mind before God. No talking…just learning to be still as we come to God.

Be prepared. In all the bustle of life, this will be the time when all kinds of random thoughts and emotions start rushing in. In the silence and without distractions, you’ll find that all the unresolved stuff you’ve been pushing down starts to come to the surface—tasks you need to do, things you want to accomplish, feelings you need to deal with, problems that overwhelm you, people that bother you.

As an exercise, I just want you to imagine these thoughts and feelings and emotions being like birds flying in the air. Just let them keep flying as they pass by. Don’t let them make nests on your head; don’t write them down so you remember them later. Just let them keep going. You are just wanting to get in a good place to meet with God. Quiet. Ready. Still.

After 10-15 minutes of stillness, spend the remainder of your time in prayer simply thanking God for the good things he has done in your life over the last few days.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

The post An Exercise in Prayer appeared first on Postcards Magazine.

Today, we’re going to be ninjas. We are busting out of our own world and starting to engage other people in a positive way, ninja-style! They won’t completely know what we are up to, but they will definitely walk away from our encounter feeling good…and so will we.

Have you ever paid attention to the normal flow of our conversations? When someone else is talking, we typically relate to what they are saying by comparing it to our own experiences. For example, someone starts talking about their trip to Hawaii and you immediately begin remembering the trip you took two years ago. You are not being malicious, but you look for ways to interject details about your own trip into the conversation. We all do it. We all want to feel part of the conversation. We all want others to know about our own experiences. It makes us feel like we matter.

But imagine what would happen if we intentionally resisted the urge to steer the conversation toward our experiences? What if we chose counter-intuitively to celebrate our friend’s experience and explore how it made them feel without interjecting our own stuff? What if we asked more questions and listened more than we spoke?

This would be a great opportunity to bolster our friendship and lift up our friend. It is like we are choosing to make someone else feel like they matter! So many people are starving to have simple, undivided, focused attention on their own world.

Our assignment today forces us get outside of our own world and compassionately serve someone else by listening and engaging.

Today’s Assignment

Choose someone and give them your undivided attention for 10 minutes. Turn off the TV, put your phone away, go on a walk, or find a good place to talk. Ask them questions. Encourage them to explain more. Make good eye contact (but don’t be awkward!) and communicate non-verbally that you care about what they are saying. And here is the key: engage them without interjecting your own stuff.

After your incognito free attention giveaway, you will find that they (and you) are energized, encouraged, and feeling good.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:3-4

Sidenote: if the conversation turns sour, turn it over to God and consider where your own stuff may have gotten in the way. Give it another try tomorrow…we’re just learning here! Don’t be so hard on yourself.

See more from Chris here.

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