Word prompt--CONSUME
Five minutes to free write about it
----------------------------------------------------------
This may seem like a stretch, but one of the things that came to mind when I saw this week's prompt was Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6:12 -- You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is good for you. And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything (NLT).
Whether it be food or money or time, there is only so much of it you can consume. Consuming too much time on one thing, for example, may leave less or none to spend on something else that may be better for you.
In January I participated in two challenges that helped me be more mindful of how I was consuming my time and my money.
The first challenge was joining my church family for 21 days of prayer that included a daily online devotional that was interactive for those of us up early enough to watch live. This wound up doubling and sometimes even tripling my daily devotional time and consuming a much larger portion of my day than I had anticipated. To make it work, I had to reset my priorities and give up some worldly pleasures, such as an hour or two of my sleep, my daily word games, and most of the books on my to read list. In return, the Lord redeemed the time I offered Him and enabled me to get a lot more done in what was left, and with a lot less stress.
The second challenge was to join No Spend January. What a great feeling to actually complete it without even making a trip to the grocery store except for one where I went to purchase something for someone else.
My pantry and freezer were pretty well stocked going into the No Spend challenge, but it didn't take long to consume all the items needed for my same old same old easy-to-throw-together meals. Instead of going out and replacing them, however, I looked for creative ways to make substitutions. The end result took a bit more effort and consumed a little more time, but some healthier and more balanced choices were the result.
You have really got your priorities right. You did the right things!
ReplyDelete“The first challenge was joining my church family for 21 days of prayer that included a daily online devotional that was interactive…” I love the challenges and that you said yes even though they both cost you something.
ReplyDeleteI accepted a January ’no sugar’ challenge, and in February I am in the middle of 21 days of fasting and prayer as we look forward to a 3 day revival at our church. It’s costing me something, but I’m encouraged by your post to stay the course.🌸 thank you! Lisa #13 FMF
Good Scripture to ponder in relation to what we consume. What we choose to spend our limited time and resources on should reflect our true priorities, I think. That's quite an accomplishment to not even need to buy groceries for a month! I know my freezer and pantry are not suitably stocked for me to do that - I think a week would stretch me for certain items!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great challenge, Sandra. Thanks for sharing. I think fasting from anything always shows us things and helps us see our priorities
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea! No spend January or any month.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed hearing this and love how God redeemed the time you spent.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of no spend months. I should try it sometime!
I really like the part where you said how God redeemed your time spent and how much more productive you ended up being.
ReplyDeleteSo much "consumes" us and me...doing what I think needs to be done and how somethings are complete time wasters.
Good stuff and love that verse. Time for me to get working on that Prompt from the Lord.
Sue
I'm so glad both challenges in January went well, Sandra. It always amazes me that when we draw near to Him, He is faithful to draw near to us. It sounds like a refreshing time!
ReplyDeleteThat is great! I have been away from my blog too long but I have been doing on line bible studies with several different pastors and all of them have been talking about the last days.We had been attending a small church and will still support their food bank as we love Bill, the elderly gentleman that runs it. But we needed more from the pastor and she was not getting it done. We have gone back to our old church where they raise some serious moral issues in our world and another church where the pastor will make you stand up and change your ways. I have been donating clothing and bedding and shoes that I had taken up space so those who need these things will be able to have them. We also sent tons of things home last summer with our youngest daughter and her husband. They attend a small church in their town and they also serve those in need tremendously. I sent dozens of books to the free library house in front of our town's rec center. The childrens book are taken quickly and the last two rounds of books I gave were also disappearing when I checked again. I have found giving is very much better than receiving. We have more than we need so we do all we can . Nothing sadder then children without proper outerwear in this cold weather. ;-(
ReplyDelete