Centering

I was so confused. There were many things that needed doing and fuzz-brain was having difficulty getting her butt in gear. My dear husband helped me. He said "Danielle, I want you to figure out what the most important thing is, and do it." I was also given direction in how I was to do it. Sweetly. This may give you a clue as to my true need. And I'll tell you that I really thought hard about what I needed to do next.

I finally sorted it out. I needed to reconcile our checkbook. This was certainly the most important thing. After all, how would I know if there was enough money in there to buy milk this week (fresh, raw goat's milk - mmmmm!) if I didn't update things? So I trudged over to my computer with a *smile* on my face and ignored my true need.

It's easy to center ourselves on our perceived needs. As a parent, we realize that we aren't as consistent as we need to be, so we center ourselves on being consistent. As a wife, we realize that we aren't being loving enough so we focus on being a more loving wife. Maybe we see that we need to be gentler to those around us, and we try our best to be sweet. On the practical side, we see that the dishes need to be done, so we do the dishes. Or we see that the house needs to be painted, so we paint the house. (Or we reconcile the checkbook, like mu-wah.)  So much of our lives are centered around the "tyranny of the urgent". And, like a bunjee cord, we snap back to the object of our true heart focus when we aren't paying attention.

But there is only one thing that is needful. Centering ourselves on the Lord Jesus Christ. is. for the believer. essential. In such a way that we are breathing Him. Eating Him. Drinking Him. We are to fix our eyes upon Him, our need upon Him, our hope upon Him. And when we do, it all clears up. Sweetness isn't much of an option, because the banquet of Jesus will bring the smile of a chesire cat to our faces. It used to seem like a miracle to me when this happened. And I guess it really is a miracle. That the Christian identifies with Christ in such a way that he is truly dead, as the scriptures say, his life hidden with Christ in God. This death is the only thing that makes it possible for us not to be ruled by our flesh. Centering ourselves on the Lord Jesus Christ means reckoning ourselves to be "dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:11).

Yet there is more to centering on Jesus Christ. That affection, ripped away from our fleshly appetites, must. be. put. on. Christ. *Period* And Him alone. And we do this by singing his praise and thanksgiving to Him "all the day long". By putting on praise music and remembering to thank Him often for little and big things. Even when we don't *feel* like it. For our affections, like a bunjee cord, will snap back ravenously to whatever our flesh was previously fastened to, if we don't firmly fix our eyes (& affections) on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." (Hebrews 12:1-4)