I hope you’re joining me in this study of The Best Yes for the remaining Tuesdays of the year (and congratulations to our winner of the book last week!). It is teaching me so much about drawing smart boundaries to make room for what really matters (as that evolves in each season of your life). Today we’re looking at Chapters 2 and 3 and the quote featured above is one of the important reminders from Chapter 3.
Chapter 2 focuses on how we all too often miss life’s small important opportunities, helping a friend or hearing a child’s story, because we are so rushed with the frenzy of our daily lives. Lysa shares her own experience of being overwhelmed and missing opportunities in the season leading up to Christmas, and I have my fair share of those stories. I don’t even want to describe for you the madness on Saturday that led up to our family Christmas photo shoot.
This is what happens to me and maybe you have experienced this too. We allow too much to invade the precious space that we have until we’re unable to give back in any capacity. Lysa encourages, If we want His direction for our decisions, the great cravings of our souls must not only be the big moments of assignment. They must also be the seemingly small instructions in the most ordinary moments when God points His finger saying, “Go there.”
We will miss that?
Chapter 3 resonated so powerfully for me as I reread it this week. Building on that stress of an overwhelmed schedule and underwhelmed soul, Lysa shares, An underwhelmed soul is one who knows there is more God made her to do. She longs to do that thing she wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about. And we write resolutions out but never achieve them because we don’t prioritize what we so want to accomplish in the midst of our busyness.
So what if we changed that? What if we, “were honest enough with ourselves to actually write down the first steps for accomplishing that thing? And then what if we were audacious enough to actually schedule time to work on those first steps?” We don’t give opportunity time to grow because it doesn’t have a spot on our calendar. Lysa recommends chronicling where you spend your time, where you have a window of time, and then blocking out hours to cultivate what matters to you but doesn’t seem to ever find space to breath in your life.
I leave you with this insight from the end of Chapter 3:
The decisions you make determine the schedule you keep.
The schedule you keep determines the life you live.
And how you live your life determines how you spend your soul.
So now it’s your turn. What is happening in your life that is squeezing out the opportunity to seize any given moment? What have you found is helpful in creating time for those things that are important to you but never quite got done? How can we be intentional and not haphazard about how we spend our time and our soul?
Found page 30 very helpful. If our actions taking up so much time are not going to bless or help anyone, why do it? Curious what other people consider their “soul thing.” Is it ok that my soul things are my firm and time with my daughter? They both require a lot of time and both are important to me, but all my focus must be with one or the other for any kind of quality work/time.
You know Sarah, I think “soul things” are very person and season of your life dependent. My kids are seriously a soul thing for me right now. So is my job and also I really do love writing. So I try to do the best with the soul thing in front of me and keep from getting distracted by all the other minor stuff that invades. Think about before you were married and what was important then. Or look at what is important to your mom now. I always think the thing that feeds you the most can change and you absolutely should prioritize those things that mean the most right now and eliminate the things that take you away from it. (And boy, that hit me too, that point about it helping…)
I think this book might just really revolutionize my life. I’ve let so many things get in the way of my best yes. My focus and decisions come from the underwhelemed of my soul and not from this will bless whom? Or the whom isn’t really who I should bless. This book comes at the perfect time. A pending book launch – now is the time to get serious! My children. My oldest turns 17 next week. My time with her under my wing is running out. It’s time! I feel the pull and desire to get to my best yes.
Oh yes Kimberly! I’m feeling the same way. 17 – isn’t that nuts? Yes, this is a good year to find pockets of time!