The Abundant Life/ How to Flourish In A Frazzled World

Do you feel overwhelmed with life…like everything just piles up and the joy has gotten sucked out of everything? Is your calendar so full that you need to be 5 places at once and you are typically late and frazzled to boot? Christ called us to an abundant life, so why is it easier to flounder than flourish? Why is it so hard to leave the world behind and chase after God? Here are 3 ways you can flourish in a frazzled world and live the abundant life that Christ has called you to.

It's been my observation that other than a mosquito -there is nothing more useless than chaff to a farmer. In order to bring in our harvest though-we have to deal with the annoying, leftover fluffy stuff.

Like it or not. Chaff yields no benefit to the farming operation other than it just sits there in piles--accumulating. It ruins the landscaping and when the breezes blow, it makes a cranky farm wife have a bad hair day.

And so it is spiritually and physically with us. Have we traded an abundant life in Christ and with our families for nothing more than chaff? It seems as though our stuffed calendars and crazy schedules are bulging with it. We let chaff pile up all over our spiritual and physical landscapes and we are losing focus on an abundant harvest in our lives.

God has a good work that He wants us to do. But, in this day and age we seem completely distracted and way too busy to intentionally seek His specific calling on our lives. So, instead we settle for a million big or little things to fill in the spots. What do we end up with? Distracted devotion and hearts that are in desperate need of soul rest.

We spend our minutes and use them to put out fires rather than pouring into others.

We take our days and and spend them idly instead of intentionally.

We spend our lives on ourselves rather than sacrificially living.

Chaff....and we all have piles of it.

Are you tired of feeling spiritually and physically frazzled and ready to begin flourishing?

1. Ask God how He wants your life ordered.

It's all about priorities and God knows the order that He wants your life to take. The world will pull you into all of bling of stardom and promises of quick cash. The result? FRAZZLED INSTEAD OF FLOURISHING. God gifted your uniquely so ask Him what His calling is on your life.

Pray about it!… Prayer is different than worry.

Do you keep the full time job? Do you get married or stay single? Do you choose to stay at home? More kids or none at all? Homeschool, public, private school? Move to the mission field or volunteer locally? College or no college? …the list goes on.

Ask Him to show you 3 primary callings in your life. What are they? What counts? Who do you hold closely and where does God want you to invest your time, finances and energy?

Who in your world needs to see a Christ centered woman of God? Maybe it's your husband, your kids, your co-workers, your friend? Maybe this season of your life needs to be one of healing with the person who has caused you the deepest pain imaginable. Callings are not always glamorous but they are glorious in His eyes.

God has given you the lovely and the unlovable to speak truth, love and grace into their lives. Take some serious time in deep prayer and ask Him where His heart is for your life.

2. Let go of everything that doesn't line up with His calling for you.

The frenzy of this world will have you stretched in every direction possible. GET FOCUSED! Once you have narrowed down the 3 primary callings that God has gifted you with, it is time to check off the chaff in your calendar! Learning to say "No" to people and activities that put a drain on you is a freeing thing. What are the essentials in your life? Narrow the scope of your involvement in the things that don’t directly relate to your calling. Your "no" leaves room for someone else to say "yes"!

Are you involved in lots of outside church activities and children's events? It’s making you frazzled! Narrow it down.

Try one sport per child per year or one outside activity that builds up your family and doesn't take away from your spiritual walk. I hear you groan and say that is is impossible to do. I hear you. I know.

But if sports replaces church--and your other activities draw you away from your family, you can bet your bottom dollar that the enemy has fertile soil to sow some deadly seeds. Believe me-that harvest is painful.

You have an enemy that is using your crammed calendar to wreak havoc and the bitter harvest won't be seen until it is too late.

Social media and entertainment is full of images that make life seem less than stellar and does the opposite of blessing. Let’s get serious about getting rid of time wasting activities like scrolling, pinning and playing! Try a media fast for 1 week and see how your stress level decreases and your free time increases.

Actually living your life rather than watching someone else live their life is pretty amazing!

Brainstorm a list of activities that are inexpensive and interactive. Set the phone down or leave the phone at home! Actually be together with the people God has given you to influence.

3. Devote yourself to reading your Bible everyday.

Time spent in the Word helps you sort the chaff out pretty quick. Scripture gives you vision, empowers you to fulfill your calling and is an outlet for every burden and care that weighs you down. Let's face it, if you clean up the calendar and discipline your time you will automatically have more time to spend in prayer, study and reflection.

It cultivates a grateful heart and a produces eternal fruit. You can begin to see the difference between the chaff and real fruit and it becomes easier to say "no" to opportunities that can drag you away from joy and contentment and "yes" to God's best.

As you learn to chase God with abandon the breath of the Holy Spirit blows the chaff away.

Only God can set you free from the slavery to chaff in your heart, home and life. Somehow when God gets bigger in your life-you begin to see the chaff for what it really is.

Jesus becomes real, and you trade being a slave to chaff for being a daughter in Christ. All made possible by Grace Incarnate.

So, what is God challenging you with today? Do you sense that He is wanting you to pull back from this frazzled world to and get His piece? Can you hear God singing over you with His unmerited, daily sufficient Grace?

Grace that knows about your slavery to chaff and has made provisions to replace it with abundant harvest.

Grace that gives you the strength to let go of worldly things and Grace that holds on to you while the Holy Spirit breathes life back into these weary and worn out places. When our hands open and the chaff is gone, we get more of God. Sweet release. Sweet rest.

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Lauren Sparks featured this post as one of her top 12 inspirational posts for a New Year! Check out the post to read more incredible articles from the other featured authors in her yearly round-up! 12 Articles to Inspire You in the New Year by Lauren Sparks