Diet or Life Style Change

What do you suppose works better? A diet or a life style change? I know for sure that diets don't work. Oh they work for awhile, but eventually one falls off the wagon and you're right back where you've started. Oprah is a living example. It must be hard to lose and keep the weight off if she can't do it. She's worth over a BILLION dollars. She can afford a personal chef, trainer, doctor, you name it, and she can't even make a diet stick. If the queen of daytime TV can't do it how in the world can an ordinary Joe like me do it. I'm not calling it a diet. I'm calling it a life style change. I'm still going to eat the foods I like, but I'm not going to eat nearly as much of them or eat them nearly as often. For a week it's worked pretty good, but I'm not here to keep you informed how my di...I mean life style change is going. What I am interested in discussing is the discipline it takes to stick to a life style change and how our spiritual lives need the same discipline.

I'm going to admit to you something right now. Being a pastor maybe I shouldn't say this, but I do struggle with my own personal spiritual life. I struggle to consistently find the time to pray and be alone with the Spirit. I've committed to reading through the Bible cover to cover and take notes on the subject, but I even find myself forgetting to do that from time to time. Try it sometime and see how difficult it can be to slog through some of the Old Testament. On the other hand, it reads better than any movie or novel in a lot of places. Hard to believe some of that stuff happened and it was recorded in the Bible. Even harder to believe that God still cares enough for us after all the trouble we cause, but that's a post for another day. Being disciplined on a di...I mean life style change, is just as important as being disciplined in your daily devotional time. Each one has a profound influence on our lives and quality of life.

It is easy for me to realize when I've neglected my spiritual life. I become agitated easily and I can become a real grouch. My patience level is not very high and I just become discouraged very easily. I've learned to recognize these symptoms, if you will, and take steps to alleviate them. I make the time to be alone and just let the Spirit fill me and guide me. I know reading that sentence kind of sounds hokie..."let the Spirit fill me." But, it is what happens. I don't have some magic formula for how we can open ourselves to the Spirit. My devotions can be as simple as 5 minutes sitting quietly and trying hard not to let my mind race with the list of things to do. Sometimes my devotional time is 30 to 45 minutes reading the Bible and taking notes on what I've read. No matter what I do I make sure I'm concentrating on God and the Spirit. Each time I come away feeling refreshed. It really is that simple. The tough part is sticking to it.

We have become so busy that we don't think we have time for ourselves. We neglect our own well being because we're so busy doing something for someone else. Whether we harm ourselves by stopping at McD's instead of taking the extra 5 minutes to pack a lunch, or whether we harm our spiritual life by neglecting our time alone with the Spirit each time we take away from our quality of life. Di...I mean beginning a life style change is hard because the easy way is the fast food and the sugar and all the bad stuff. Having a fulfilling spiritual life is tough too because it asks us to take some time for ourselves. Taking time for ourselves is not selfish. In fact it is necessary and an important part in making sure we're the best we can be for those who need us. I know when I'm neglecting my spiritual life Tracy and the boys are suffering right along with me 'cause I'm not too fun to be around. Is it selfish for me to make sure I have at least some time to be alone and connect with God? NO it is absolutely necessary. I am challenging myself to at least once a day to connect with God. It doesn't have to be an elaborate devotional time, but it has to be an intentional slowing down and purposeful connection to the Spirit. Will you take the challenge with me? Will you help hold me accountable? Let's see how our lives can be influenced for the better. And who knows...maybe, just maybe by being connected to the Spirit it'll make my life style change easier!