August 22nd, 2010
Haven: noun.
Haven: noun. any place of shelter and safety; refuge; asylum.
my new room= my new haven.
I’ve never been more excited about moving. I guess now that I’m a senior (senior?! surely not so…) I’ve accumulated the perfect furniture, decorations, and a well stocked bookshelf (one of my not-so-secret goals in life), that moving was inexpensive and rewarding.
Yesterday Clayton asked me what was going to make this year successful, and it got my thinking about how many practical things can genuinely affect how we feel about daily tasks and stresses. Here are just a few:
-keep a clean room– organization, knowing where things are, order. I honestly think my haven is going to aid this year immensely!
example: I bought a second desk that is going to be called my focus desk (and yes, I realize it sounds a bit like a time-out chair for kindergartners). The desk is to remain empty– clutter is a killer of all productivity for me.
-exercise– the rumor is true. It makes you feel better. Spinning classes here I come!
-live on a budget– it is written and ready to begin. Whenever I spend money, guilt from sits on my shoulders like a heavy box. Why carry needless guilt? Oh Dave Ramsey, you make sense.
but here’s the kicker: while I can do these practical things, the foundational truth is this: how I am spiritually affects everything –attitudes, motivation, kindness, desire for growth in other areas, etc all go down the drain when I don’t daily commune with the Lord (doesn’t this point to how we’re wired? We are created by God and for God, right?)
I find myself dancing in a circle; I’m stoked about my room and motivated more than ever to stay organized, exercise, eat right, spend right, study right, and I could go on… and on… But just like that list, those “successes” can only take me so far. Take my room: It offers a home, a place to study and rest, a place to grow, but it’s still just a thing. It can only do so much.
My heart’s haven must be in the presence of the Lord, or my little room will just be a place of escape.
For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Psalm 32:7
My goal: that my little haven and new personal growth “kicks” might help my heart find and remain in the haven the Lord created in his presence. That, I think, might be what it takes to have a successful year.
