The Unencumbered Life

Most of you are familiar with the idea of good, better, and best. Most of you understand the principle of not running faster that you can walk and that milk comes before meat. You understand what it means to be anxiously engaged, build the kingdom, and be an instrument in the Lord's hand. We generally get these ideas. We understand the importance of doing good when and where we can. We know the greatest commandment is to love God, then others (as ourselves).

Where I think some of us get lost is in the implementation of these great principles.  I think we look are our schedule, at our life, and we think okay here are all the things I need to do. Here are all the ways I need to serve others. Here are all the things I need to do to love and serve God. We start making a list and filling our schedule with lots of good and great things. We start serving people all over the place. We do a lot of good and better things but end up feeling a little empty.

I call this the Encumbered* Life.

Without going into too much detail I think there is another way to apply these brilliant principles into our lives. I look at my schedule, my life, my propinquity, and evaluate. I start planning the essentials/non negotiable things, I plug in some "me time", and of course some social plans. Here's where things change. Instead of filling up all the space I have I leave some huge gaping holes, small holes, and mostly just leave some negotiable space to work with.

I call this the On the Way principle.

In carving out negotiable space it's a bit uncomfortable, at first, to have down time--it almost feels selfish. Then something magical happens. The Lord takes that space and He uses it for His purposes. Now instead of me filling it with things I think need to be done or people I think I need to serve He takes that time and fills it with things He needs me to do. He brings people to me I need to serve. It's simple really.

Jesus Christ did many of his miracles while he was on the way to doing something else. Many times in the New Testament He was on his way to perform one miracle when he is stopped on the way and presented with opportunities to heal and bless others.

Soon you will find that you are just as busy as you were before you carved out those gaping holes of negotiable space but you feel much different. Time wise not much has changed but now you are utilizing your life in the best ways possible.

I call this the unencumbered life.

*thanks members of MM for letting me borrow this word .