“Bringing Life into Focus”
This week’s blog is written by my husband, Matt Bridges. He gives us perspective on pressing pause and bringing life back into focus…..
Men and women, can I ask you an honest question? As you awake each morning, what is the first thing you do or look at? Some of us turn on the news, some look at social media, some may open God’s Word and some of us may be elbow deep in changing diapers. If you’re anything like me, I can assume this can be a convicting question.
Not long ago, I found myself hit with a difficult and challenging circumstance beyond my control. Being in control is what fuels my day, and lacking that control is what makes me feel defeated. As I attempted to bulldoze through the concerns, I found myself restless and heavy.
From the moment I awake until the end of my day, I can allow my mind to be consumed with a to do list. Employees, children, the wife and more are looking to me for a variety of answers and it can become exhausting. So, when life handed me another scenario to dissect, I felt pushed beyond my limit.
My wife has always encouraged me to fast from things that may be hindering my way of seeking The Lord’s counsel. Often times I would push past her idea because most daily situations were manageable, but this challenge in life felt different. I was forced to identify that I had zero control and had to rely on the Lord wholeheartedly. I was out of my element and terrified of the outcome. After I surrendered my control, my wife’s recommendation echoed in my head reminding me to fast. I took time to evaluate what was taking me away from spending time with God.
Webster’s dictionary defines fasting as abstaining from food. Likewise, fasting in the Bible is typically centered around food. Yet, I believe fasting can be used in the form of ridding yourself from anything in your life that pulls you away from God, which brings me back to my first sentence. What is the first thing you do in the morning when you awake? I know for myself my mornings began with filling my head with Fox news, catching up on social media and a workout at the gym. I would occasionally get my Bible out to read, but it wasn’t the first thing on my agenda lately. I bet you would agree two of these morning rituals are meaningless, social media being at the forefront. We all know how it feels when Apple reminds us weekly of the amount of time we spent flipping our thumbs up and down our phone screens. It’s an embarrassing feeling.
After identifying what was consuming my time, I began to start my mornings differently. I eliminated looking at my phone and turning the tv on and began reaching for God’s Word. I began to listen and search for His will in my life not only for this particularly challenging situation, but for daily living. As I grew obedient and offered my time to The Lord, I was able to tune into God’s divine wisdom. The most eye-opening experience from fasting became the recognition of God’s blessings during a circumstance that was beyond my control. I was able to just sit and see how faithful God has been through my life and was reminded of God’s sovereignty.
Despite our busy lives, it’s imperative to sit before God and be still. Our God wants time with us, and we need time with Him daily, not just when we are at a breaking point. Fasting is not the answer to everything, but it was a great tool to refocus my attention and restore my focus. My favorite verse is “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” Matthew 11:28. I’m thankful for this verse as I became reminded to go to Him first, with my firsts of the day in order to find rest throughout my day.
I challenge you to decide in this moment what can you do differently to start your day and sit before the Lord? I can assure you that if I can do it, you can too!
