A Change of Focus

Oh hey there blog, you're still around?

It's New Years!  Hooray!  Odd, a holiday I've never really understood or seen much cause to celebrate seems to be a pretty big deal here in France.  The streets are more clear today than they were on Christmas.  Text messages have been rolling in all day long with well wishes for 2013.  So let's celebrate!

Yesterday morning I sat down with my Bible to read and pray.  Where to start?  In the middle of a French reading plan but on break I was at that moment of not knowing exactly where to turn.  A wise man once impressed upon me the importance of Psalm 27:4, and suddenly I felt the need to turn there again.

"One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord    and to seek him in his temple."

And in reading a familiar verse again, I knew exactly what I want my life to look like throughout 2013. In a world of multi-tasking, multiple degrees, accomplishments, hats, and titles, I would like one simple thing to define my life this year (and forever?).  Dwell in the house of the Lord, seeking Him and Him alone.

I remember vividly back in my university days common challenges issued by passionate speakers concerning sacrifice, commitment, and idols.  Am I willing to forsake all for the cause of Christ?  Do I have any idols in my life?  Is there anything that I would not be willing to part with?  At the time, I remember fighting with guilt over aspects of my life, even if generally good, that I simply didn't feel I could part with.  Then I eventually came to a point where I thought I could give up anything, if God asked, but that didn't mean I wanted to.

You know, as I age, I find the whole spectrum changing.  I don't feel guilt much anymore regarding the pleasures of my life.  There are things I simply enjoy doing, and many of them I believe God created and placed out there for us to enjoy.  I love hiking in His creation or soaking up the sun from a finely trimmed fairway.  I gain energy from parties with friends or time in a music studio.  But I am now finding that I actually enjoy more the time I spend at the feet of the Father in worship, or walking the streets in prayer more than the other stuff of life that I've always loved.  As I pour into Him, a lot more is slipping away.

Until I forget how much I enjoy that time with Him, that is.  Which seems to happen about every 3 days and then takes a week(s) to remember again.

I pray this year that I'll forget less, and habitual dwelling in His house will begin.