How to Be More Faithful
An in-depth expose of how bad I am living out my faith
I bring you tidings of good news. I have discovered the key to fully living out my faith in a way that transforms me and the people around me. The bad news is that it looks impossible to actually do.
What is the key?
Simply upgrade to paid now and you’ll get access to this life-changing secret!
(Just kidding – ignore the taunt. There is nothing here worth paying for.)
The key to moving from praying that God uses me to actually being used comes down to being available.
That means I should stop trying to fill my day with my tasks, objectives, plans, etc., and be open to where God wants me to be. I need to build into my day free time so God can serendipitously fill it with his plans for me.
Easy-peasy
I mean, it sounds simple. Rather than packing my day with activities, I should take my foot off the accelerator, step back, and make sure my calendar is open and I’m available. For someone who spends a lot of time complaining about how busy I am, how packed my days are, how life is going by too quickly, you would think this would be super easy.
You would be wrong.
Yet Another Character Flaw
I apparently don’t have the ability to do this. I apparently need to be active all the time. I apparently need to create a to-do list every morning, then work feverishly during the day to cross things off the list. My to-do list, along with my email inbox and my calendar appointments, apparently are what give my life meaning.
I didn’t think I was like this. I’ve met Type A people, and I am not like them. I’m an introvert and I am drawn to the more contemplative activities; reading, listening to music, wondering how my college football team can win games without a functional offense.
Yet the fact is, I don’t stop and smell the roses. Instead, I try to water them, weed them, and maybe look around to see where those roses should be transplanted.
Season of Plenty
I am at a season of life where this should be much easier. My work now is outside the traditional corporate setting, which means I should have the time and bandwidth to just be, and still have time to complete a load of critical tasks. But when I talk with friends who are in the same situation, they tend to raise their eyebrows when I ask how they fill their days. They have taken a less aggressive schedule-filling approach. When I asked one what she did when she runs out of tasks for the day, she said “a nap is always a good option.”
I mean, I take naps, but only when they’re scheduled. And only after processing emails, writing what needs to be written, and reading everything on my list (including my favorite Substack authors).
Time’s a-Wastin’
I have work to do here. I’ve reached an inflection point. I’m growing increasingly anxious that the sands are sinking through the hourglass and I haven’t yet done great work for God. I haven’t written my own Bible translation, haven’t opened an orphanage, and haven’t fed five strangers, let alone 5,000. So I am feeling increasingly urgent to get about this.
Which is why I put “Sit still and wait for God to use me to perform a miracle” at the very top of my to-do list.
Take a nap doesn’t show up until number 27.