He is demonstrating how people in Jesus' day reclined
My Greek professor and Honors' tutor in college, Dr. Bob Byrd, is a wise ole bird. He would be ok with me calling him a bird, considering he has a picture of big bird from Sesame Street on his office door :) He has been a professor in the Religion department at Belmont since before it was called Belmont College, and I greatly respect him. All that to say, he played a key role in my education...having sat in over 10 semesters of classes with him and countless hours in his office discussing my thesis.
However, one simple phrase has seemed to stick in my brain from first year Greek class. I wrote it on the back of my Greek book (created by Dr. Byrd...who reads his Greek Bible instead of an English version...yes ladies and gentlemen, he's legit) and it has been etched on my heart ever since...
We think we have to do EVERYTHING, so we end up doing NOTHING.
This phrase puts into words what I have been feeling over the past few months. Being in India, you're surrounded by obvious needs, both spiritual and physical. There are tons of needs in America, too (I don't mean to belittle them) but they seem more apparent here. Here are some visions I've been milling over in the past months...
*Sharing the gospel intentionally, specifically with youth
*Equipping Indian teachers with effective and engaging teaching methods
*Orphanage
*Discipling Indian Christians, specifically young people
Even things as simple as exercise can overwhelm us because when thinking of the 30 pounds we should lose, we set out an outrageous and overwhelming plan of working out 7 days a week and eating only raw vegetables. SO WE END UP DOING NOTHING.
I look at the above list and I think, "Megan, you're only 1 person!" Yes. I am. So, God, help me to be able to focus on one thing at a time, one step at a time. Because these things are important. They shouldn't simply be tossed aside because they seem overwhelming. Help me not to give in to what Satan wants...lukewarm-ness and giving up, satisfaction in the comfortable. And ultimately, You're gonna have to do it through me because I'm so prone to giving up and losing heart. Your kingdom come, Your will be done...on earth, as it is in heaven.
"For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." (Phillippians 2:13)
Dr Byrd must have really good longevity genes! Such wise words you have written today. Take baby steps in your day, but just keep stepping!
ReplyDeleteLove & miss you,
Aunt B
What a good word. Thank you Meg. That Philippians verse is so encouraging. He has got to do the work in us and we can trust God to direct us to the work he has for us! Another I've been thinking of during this busy season: Isaiah 26:3-4 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting ROCK." Love you friend! Debster the Webster :)
ReplyDeleteWow... I needed to hear that today, feeling like I am a big ol' piece of sausage (Spanx will give ya that feeling)... and really craving eating sausage but telling myself not to.
ReplyDeleteAnd... bemoaning still being single, yet replaying negative mental "tapes" that I'll never get married (*cue violins of sympathy*) and that I'm scared of getting married. (Can we say "catch-22"?).
Plus... wondering does catching extraneous commas and being vigilant about capitalization do anything for the Kingdom, really? {But then... I get paid to do it. And then I can support my siblings in Christ, like you, who are "on the field," in the trenches.}
And man, Deb, that's the Scripture God used to help me with something a couple of years ago, and it's one that I need to keep in front of my eyeballs! Thanks for typing that out!!
Meg - who would have thought I'd be reading a blog written by my daughter about the same professor that taught me 30 years ago at Belmont!
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