Pondering Dryness

Wow! Long time, huh? It has been a long while since I posted last. I have felt dry and without any comment, and so I didn't feel the need to bore you with nothingness. At least, that is my excuse. As I lay in bed this morning (wanting to sleep, but unable to do so), I pondered this thought. I tried to make sense of not writing, when this is something I love doing. Here are my conclusions. Maybe you can relate to some of these, or maybe it will help you through your dry times.

1. A dry time does not mean a lack of passion. I know that I am passionate about a lot of things. I know that I am passionate for God and His word. But I still have dry times; times I struggle in reading the Word and spending quality time with Him. It does not mean I love Him less or are less enthralled by the Word. There is something else at work. But it is not a lack of passion. I do not consider myself a great writer, but it is something I thoroughly enjoy and feel great when I do it. I feel a sense of freedom in writing that I don't feel in any other form of communication. It certainly has not been for lack of passion for writing.

2. I think I am a bit ADD. I am an all or nothing kind of person. I get hooked into something and I pour all my energy there. This is a blessing and curse. When my focus is something good, then I am doing great and wonderful things. But when my focus is on unhealthy things, then I am harmful to myself and those around me. No one can testify to this fact more than my wife. She has endured more "bunny trails" from me than she deserves. She asked me many times whether I think this is a good direction I'm heading. It usually takes me a little longer to see my erroneous ways than her, but eventually I come to my senses. I have been off on a "bunny trail" lately, I think. I have allowed things to consume my energy that were not necessarily bad, but it took away from what is good and great. Somehow I got to learn the art of balance.

3. I (along with the rest of the world) don't value the ordinary. I felt like I had nothing to say. That what was happening in my life was of no importance to myself or anyone else. We are consumed with the big stuff of life. We get caught up in the major events and times. That is why weddings, birth of a child and things like that are so significant. But we tend to place less emphasis on the everyday activities. It is as if they are insignificant. The reality is that every moment is significant. We are created by a perfect Creator God. Every moment of our life is a tremendous blessing and responsibility. There is not a second of our earthly life that doesn't matter. Every moment with our spouse, our children, the body, and others we don't know carries great importance. I often wonder if this is why the world sees us (Christians) as no different that they are. We go about life the same as they do. We go to work and treat it the same. We come home and sit in front of the TV the same as they do. We do Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner with family the same as they do. We shop and accumulate wealth the same. The only difference is that we spend an hour on Sunday morning going to church...as if that redeems us and makes us distinct. We need to make our lives unique from the world in every facet of living. The way we work, the way we spend time with our family, the way we interact with others, the way we handle our resources...all of it should demonstrate our commitment and attachment to the Savior. In Acts, Paul and John were arrested for preaching the gospel. Thousands came to salvation from their preaching of the Word and they were arrested. The Bible says that the one thing the Pharisees took note of was that these men had been with Jesus. They knew the significance of their fellowship with the Savior. I wonder if our friends (and enemies) take note of the fact that we have been with Jesus. If that is true, then the entirety of our lives are in no way insignificant. Every moment is tremendously important.

So I say all this because it is my dilemma I have faced. I will continue to ponder these thoughts and make my to align with what God intends for me. I know that if I do that, I will spend my energy in the areas of my passions that God has given me and I will make a difference for time and eternity.