“Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:15).

When my younger grandchildren spend the night with us, we take great pains to make sure their bedrooms are very dark. We have room-darkening drapes, we turn out the lights, and cover all the electronic devices that emit those blue and red beams. In other words, we extinguish all the light sources to remove the distractions so that they will sleep more soundly.

In the same way, I think we sometimes hide those light sources from ourselves by all the baggage that we carry and all the things that we do to fill and complicate our lives. We become so burdened that we cannot see the light of day.  Believe me, as a former young working mother, I know what it is like to have way too much to do. Some of you are working two jobs, taking care of family, and taking classes. But stay with me, it is not hopeless. There are many ways that we can lighten our loads so that we have more time and energy to focus on our Kingdom Purpose, as we discussed in the devotional last week.

1. We must prioritize our heart desires. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). By the way, what does this passage mean by “these things?” Verse 31 tells us “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?”  Of course, we should take responsibility for the welfare of our families, but do your best, then trust God for the rest, and don’t spend emotional energy worrying. Let us keep our priorities in the right place and know that He will provide.

• We must be particular about what we say “yes” to.  Some of us are too willing to raise our hands to volunteer for everything that comes along, or too eager to spend time in unhealthy recreation. Even healthy recreation when engaged in obsessively can be unhealthy (talking to myself, here). Our motivations can vary all over the place. Perhaps we have an orientation toward service, so we want to help. Or we volunteer out of guilt or a feeling of “should,” or we let someone guilt us into it. I find lots of different things to be interesting, so I used to be prone to volunteer just to try it out or to be with my friends. None of those reasons are necessarily bad, and certainly being willing to serve is a good thing. However, if always saying yes keeps you too busy to focus on your Kingdom Purpose, then they are not the best things. I love the gospel’s analogy of pruning: “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesso that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:2).

• We must confess our sins daily (if not more often). Unconfessed sin is heavy; it weighs us down with guilt and shame. It clouds our thinking and contaminates our testimony. However, the act of confessing our sins is purifying. Asking the Holy Spirit to convict us of all our sins, shortfalls, and poor choices, and then confessing them with true remorse is so pleasing to God, and it is so life-giving.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

• We must forgive others, and ourselves. This is one of the most profoundly life-changing lessons I have ever learned. When we forgive, we are not condoning the offense. Far from it. We are instead letting go of the power that it has over us. Brothers and sisters, please don’t let someone else’s sin become your sin; please don’t let it destroy you. I am convinced that Satan revels in our unforgiveness because he knows how destructive it is. In the words of Elsa, “let it go.” And don’t “play God” by holding on to your shame after God has forgiven you.  “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25).

So, as you are uncovering your passion–your Kingdom Purpose, be diligent about your focus, eliminating all the things that hide and crowd your passion so that your light can truly shine.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).  

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 19:14