Morning. Julia again today.
So me and the cat have had a night time routine for a while. It used to simply be that I would give Timmy attention on his favourite cushion each evening before bed until he started sucking his tail, which I presumed meant he was all settled in to go to sleep. It was a very soothing routine for all involved.
However, one day I foolishly played with him with some wool. And so, the routine has changed forever. Now every night, he will wait while I clean my teeth, and then lead me to the room where he knows the wool is. Before I am allowed to go to bed, I must indulge Timmy in a game of catch the increasingly chewed string.
If you think that of course I am happy to bow to Timmy’s every whim just because he is a delightful tiny creature, you are absolutely correct. Even if I am sleepy, I don’t mind playing with him – my favourite bit is when he somehow gets 3 to 4 paws stuck in the wool at once, or when he ends up swinging on the curtain like a deranged, furry Tarzan. Precious moments.
As you can gather, like many others before me, my life is very much ruled by the cat. This got me thinking, what other things ‘rule’ our lives? What are our influences, or our motivation in the way we live? What things do we want? Take a moment to talk to God about these things.
Sometimes we’re driven by really positive things – for example: love for the people in your life, the desire to make things better, or pursuing interests. However, negatives also take hold, sometimes without us realising. Things like fear, anger, or even guilt can ‘rule’ you as well.
I think it’s good to be aware of the things that drive you.
People reading these Daily Zeph posts may have noticed that sometimes (often) Zeph team members accidentally comment as Zephaniah Trust rather than ourselves. It’s because on each Facebook post there’s a little dropdown option list at the top of who you want to comment as, and you have to select your personal Facebook account to be you. You have to remember to check at the top of the page every time it reloads. (This can be a challenge…)
The upshot of this is that you keep having to look up to remember who you are.
Could the same be said of real life…?
Some wisdom from Tumblr (I think):
To what extent can we choose what influences us? In Matthew 6 verse 33, Jesus tells people to “seek first the Kingdom of God”. If we look to God, and the love that he has for us, it puts our various other influences in perspective.
God can help us with the negative influences that have hold over us – whether that involves healing or something else. We are not on our own.
Even with the positive things that drive us, if you rely on stuff like interests or achievements to be your only source of happiness and meaning, it’s too much pressure and they can end up feeling empty.
But with the security of having God at the centre, you can enjoy and celebrate other things that drive you in the light of them being gifts from God. That way, both God and his gifts are life-giving.
Let’s pray that God will be at the core of our lives, and that he will help us with everything else.
Have a listen to this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AkNqLuVgY
Amen! Enjoy your Tuesday!
Zephaniah Trust 