Okay, ladies...I have a book recommendation for you! Not just for you...but for your teen daughters, the college gals in your home or church, and yes, even your mom! I usually do not give out recommendations till I have finished reading a book...but this one is too good not to give out in time for you to add it to your Christmas order! And,as a side note, for my Canadian friends...she is a Canadian!:)
"Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild" by Mary A. Kassian
Using the book of Proverbs she tackles 20 points of contrast between a "girl gone wild" and a "girl gone wise"...and don't be fooled by the label "girl"...if you are a woman and you are breathing :) you'll be blessed by the insight and wisdom found in this book!
Chapter 5 was all about habits and priorities and I loved what she had to say...
"An orderly, disciplined life is a hallmark of those who follow Jesus....Is your life orderly and disciplined? Are you putting first things first? A well-known American journalist once said, "Don't waste your breath proclaiming what's really important to you. How you spend your time says it all...There's no sense talking about priorities. Priorities reveal themselves. We're all transparent against the face of the clock." There's a lot of truth in those words. Priorities reveal themselves in habits. If asked, most of us could come up with quite a list of good-looking priorities. Unfortunately, for most people, this list would itemize the things we know should take precedence in our lives, but that really don't. It's not what we say but what we do that reveals our true priorities. That's why I titled this chapter "Habits" and not "Priorities". Looking at what you routinely do reveals what your priorities really are....Each day we make dozens and dozens of small decisions. Each individual decision seems trivial and inconsequential. But together they add up to a habitual pattern that is either life-giving or live-quenching. Paul warns, "If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live"(Romans 8:13)."
My heart's cry is to have my habits line up with what I know my priorities should be. It takes discipline fueled by a passion for the glory of God and even then, in and of my own strength, my habits will fall far short and my priorities will be out of order. I can't do it on my own. Mary goes on to say:
"Given my own strength and willpower, my ability to live a self-disciplined life is extremely limited. That's why I need to depend on my "Helper". The Lord gives me His Spirit to help me in my weaknesses. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). The truth of the matter is, I don't have enough power to overcome the sinful pull towards self-indulgence. I don't love God or others enough to sacrifice my own comfort and pleasure for the sake of theirs. I don't have the self-discipline to make myself do what I ought to do. On my own, I do not have the capacity to put first things first. But thankfully (and this is the wonder of the Gospel), it doesn't matter. The Lord gives me all I need. He provides the power, love, and self-discipline I so desperately lack. Therefore, doing the right thing doesn't depend on me drumming up enough willpower. Success is a matter of depending upon the Holy Spirit and not on my own capacity."
Good stuff, aye? Next week, I hope to share some habits that we are seeking to instill into our lives and the lives of our kids so that our priorities rightly reflect that there is nothing in life that compares to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:7)!
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