Not too long ago, my life was crazy, chaotic, and both physically and emotionally draining. I worked in a job that was stressful. I was constantly worried about deadlines and details. I couldn’t see the beauty of life, because I was surrounded by the clutter of it. I felt pressured to attend every event I was invited to, to participate in multiple activities, and to fit as much as possible in my daily schedule. The decluttering of my life began when my husband and I decided it was time for me to make a daring change. Jeff had been encouraging me for a long time to leave my job. After Trevor died, it suddenly became clear how much my job was taking from my daily life. After his death, I felt as if I couldn’t catch up with the world. I needed time to think. One of the first few things I learned after Trevor died was to not make any life changes too quickly. Although I had considered leaving my job for a long time, I took the jump rather suddenly, but not until passing the 3rd anniversary of Trevor’s death. I never looked back. My new job is amazing. It is part-time. I work less hours 4 days a week and am blessed with Fridays off. I have never needed to bring any work home and have not had any worries regarding deadlines or conflicts with staff. Looking back just a few weeks ago, I thought that the job change had transformed my life. This past week, I realized that wasn’t the case. My life’s transformation occured when I put God first. Getting more involved in church through my new job, spending more time with faithful, caring, and God-centered people, and letting go of so much stress and worry lead to the shift that made the difference in my life. Pastor and author Vance Havner once said, “It’s about time we gave up all this theological Grand Opera and went back to practicing the scales.” That is the change I made. I went back to the basics, to the scales, by leaving the Grand Opera I thought was life behind. When I began putting God first, so many things that I thought were important fell to the wayside. Pastor Cindy is right! Life isn’t all about organization and management and stress and position and money. Life is about relationships. The Bible teaches that our relationship with God must take precedence over everything else in life. Seeking Him first, shouldn’t mean that we say a few prayers in the morning and cross God off of our “to do” list for the day. He is a matter of focus, not order. Without realizing it, over the course of the past few months, that is the real change that has occurred in my life. Putting God first, not just on the top of my list of things to do for the day, but in everything I do, has lifted a weight off of my shoulders that I had been carrying for so long I hadn’t realized how heavy it had become. When Christ is absorbed in each element of life, real transformation happens. My job is amazing. My marriage is fantastic. My friends and family are seeing a side of me that has been gone for a very long time. In fact, I am not sure this person in me ever existed before. Letting go of clutter in our house, in our yard, and in my schedule is a result of letting God lead me to through this life, a life that I am still in awe is mine. The beauty of life isn’t in the things we collect, the position we hold, or the money we have in the bank. The real beauty in life, is the relationships we have. When we are able to have one reason, one purpose, one direction, one motivation life is simplified.
So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33
danacox31 
Amen ❤
Yes! We are invited to abide in Christ and when we actually do … well … Dana you’ve lived it!