My 12 year old daughter was doing her own wash last night. She put her clothes in the dryer before bed and expected them to be ready for school in the morning. When she woke up this morning, she opened up the dryer to find her clothes still wet. Without looking at the situation, I thought maybe the dryer had stopped, so I told her to run the dryer again. I fully expected the clothes to be dry by the time she was to leave school.
After getting the rest of herself ready to go, she went to the laundry room to get her uniform. They were still wet. I came in to evaluate the situation. The clothes were soaking/dripping/heavy wet! This angered me. How could she have not realized that the clothes were this wet before putting them in the dryer? For some reason, the washer did not spin her clothes dry. So I began to take the clothes out of the dryer and put them back into the washer so that I could re-spin them. I don’t know how she fit that many clothes in the wash the first time, but there was way too many for one cycle. This is why they didn’t spin properly. I had to put only half the clothes in at a time to properly go through the process of spinning.
She has been doing her own wash for 2 years now. This has never been an issue. She must have gotten behind and tried to rush and combine too many loads to get done quicker, but instead ended up with an overload! All of her uniforms were in the wash, leaving her with nothing to wear. I ended up calling her in absent from school.
This of course made me think of what this looks like on a spiritual level. How many times do we get behind on our stuff or simply take on too much? How often do we know that something is wrong/off but instead of stopping to figure it out or fix it, we just move on to the next step? Why did she put sopping wet clothes in the dryer without fixing the problem? She did this because of the same reasons why we start relationships, ministries, and jobs before we are ready. We are anxious to get to the end result! Sometimes we ignore the red flags and warnings and think it will just work out in the end. We have to go through a process before we are ready. If we rush the process or add too much to it we can cause an overload. This will leave an unfinished product that will cause us to miss our end assignment. God wants to mature us before he brings us to the next level. He wants us healed, delivered, and whole. He wants us to be ready to receive the end result.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
The Race of Faith
12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
If we rush through the process, we might end up having to start back at the beginning. This is how cycles get started. The only way to break a cycle of dysfunction is to recognize where a void or mess occurs and get to the root cause. We can do this our self by asking God to search our hearts and show us the incomplete areas of our soul. Others won’t necessarily recognize our immaturity until we mess up or overload. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather God expose my immaturity to me privately rather than being exposed publicly!
Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Let’s commit to breaking cycles of dysfunction in our lives. Let’s commit to finishing the process that God is working in us and handling the glitches as they take place. Let’s pay attention to our children more closely to recognize an overload before it happens. Let us not expect them to act on a maturity level that they aren’t ready for. We want to be finishers not cycle keepers.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NKJV)
Striving for a Crown
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
We finish well for an imperishable reward! This is what prosperity looks like (successful, thriving, and flourishing). Let the process of our season begin!
Father, we thank You that You know the process that each one of us needs to mature. Forgive us for trying to move into the next step before properly finishing the previous one. Keep us aware of any glitches so that You may come in and heal, deliver, and make us complete in You. Help us recognize and break any cycles of dysfunction that still takes place in our lives. Show us how to submit those things to You so You can come in and get to the root cause. We want to finish our race well. Help us raise our children to be finishers and problem solvers. We want them to be aware when things are off so they may adjust them properly. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
After getting the rest of herself ready to go, she went to the laundry room to get her uniform. They were still wet. I came in to evaluate the situation. The clothes were soaking/dripping/heavy wet! This angered me. How could she have not realized that the clothes were this wet before putting them in the dryer? For some reason, the washer did not spin her clothes dry. So I began to take the clothes out of the dryer and put them back into the washer so that I could re-spin them. I don’t know how she fit that many clothes in the wash the first time, but there was way too many for one cycle. This is why they didn’t spin properly. I had to put only half the clothes in at a time to properly go through the process of spinning.
She has been doing her own wash for 2 years now. This has never been an issue. She must have gotten behind and tried to rush and combine too many loads to get done quicker, but instead ended up with an overload! All of her uniforms were in the wash, leaving her with nothing to wear. I ended up calling her in absent from school.
This of course made me think of what this looks like on a spiritual level. How many times do we get behind on our stuff or simply take on too much? How often do we know that something is wrong/off but instead of stopping to figure it out or fix it, we just move on to the next step? Why did she put sopping wet clothes in the dryer without fixing the problem? She did this because of the same reasons why we start relationships, ministries, and jobs before we are ready. We are anxious to get to the end result! Sometimes we ignore the red flags and warnings and think it will just work out in the end. We have to go through a process before we are ready. If we rush the process or add too much to it we can cause an overload. This will leave an unfinished product that will cause us to miss our end assignment. God wants to mature us before he brings us to the next level. He wants us healed, delivered, and whole. He wants us to be ready to receive the end result.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
The Race of Faith
12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
If we rush through the process, we might end up having to start back at the beginning. This is how cycles get started. The only way to break a cycle of dysfunction is to recognize where a void or mess occurs and get to the root cause. We can do this our self by asking God to search our hearts and show us the incomplete areas of our soul. Others won’t necessarily recognize our immaturity until we mess up or overload. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather God expose my immaturity to me privately rather than being exposed publicly!
Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Let’s commit to breaking cycles of dysfunction in our lives. Let’s commit to finishing the process that God is working in us and handling the glitches as they take place. Let’s pay attention to our children more closely to recognize an overload before it happens. Let us not expect them to act on a maturity level that they aren’t ready for. We want to be finishers not cycle keepers.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NKJV)
Striving for a Crown
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
We finish well for an imperishable reward! This is what prosperity looks like (successful, thriving, and flourishing). Let the process of our season begin!
Father, we thank You that You know the process that each one of us needs to mature. Forgive us for trying to move into the next step before properly finishing the previous one. Keep us aware of any glitches so that You may come in and heal, deliver, and make us complete in You. Help us recognize and break any cycles of dysfunction that still takes place in our lives. Show us how to submit those things to You so You can come in and get to the root cause. We want to finish our race well. Help us raise our children to be finishers and problem solvers. We want them to be aware when things are off so they may adjust them properly. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!