Hope and Expectation

Second Mile's annual week of prayer and fasting begins today. Each year we set aside an extended time to focus on the same topics as a body and petition God on behalf of one another, our city, and the world. We distribute a prayer guide for people to follow which helps keep us all on the same heart beat of prayer throughout each day. If you are out of town and would like to pray with us you can view the prayer guide here.

Personally, I feel like this year God is asking me to focus on discipline and consistency. As life has gotten more full with the schedule of my family and the growth of our church, my own personal discipline has become lax. My desire is to be a woman who is focused on Jesus. I pray that my love for Chad reflects the love I have for Jesus. I want my interaction with my kids to come out of an overflow of time spent with him. The ministry I have with the women of Second Mile should be Spirit-filled and laced with the goodness that I find in Christ. To be honest, I've been tired. I haven't been disciplined and consistent in spending enough time with God or in taking care of myself. The Spirit has definitely been convicting me in this area and drawing me to himself. This lack of discipline has trickled down to how I eat, exercise, read, and even create boundaries in ministry. This shift has made me feel slothful, lonely, and discontent.

The funny thing for me is that discipline has never been something that was difficult for me. If I wanted to work to do something, I did. If something big needed to be accomplished, I worked to accomplish it. I've often been described as a "make it happen person." Glory to God that he has increased the parameters of my life in such a way that I can no longer "make it happen." This fresh call to discipline and consistency is a beautiful reminder that God is at work in my family and our church. The bigness of what he is doing is more than I can handle. He is calling me into a deeper, more dependent relationship with him. I'm excited. And, to be honest, I'm wondering what is next. How will things get bigger? What challenges lie ahead? I know. I know. Do not worry about tomorrow. Today has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34)

I truly pray that this week in our family of Second Mile, we all take this time seriously. This isn't the only week we pray together, but this should propel us through the year to seek God as a body. I pray that individually we ask God to speak to us, convict us, nurture us. I'm also praying that corporately we will not just be focused on talking to God, but listening to what he wants to say. I know whatever he desires to say to our church it will definitely be worth listening to!

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.