Dependent One

by Intern Pastor Meggie

I once heard a group fitness instructor say “You’re here, you’ve showed up. Don’t sell yourself short now.”

The idea is simple: if you’ve already committed the time to be here and present, then why not make the most of it? Don’t check out, it’ll soon be over!

While the analogy breaks down a bit when considering self-isolation (namely, that unlike a begrudging 5 a.m. fitness class, none of us signed up for a global pandemic!), the concept of stewarding our time well is ageless.

I read about a man who prayed the same prayer every morning: "God help me to maximize what you want to emphasize today." I love this prayer for several reasons.

• It confesses that ultimately God is in control. The world is His, it puts Him on the throne before we’ve even started.
• It acknowledges our partnership with the Holy Spirit, that we are dependent on Him and whatever we do in our day is the result of that communion.
• It gives us a short-term, God-centered goal where we focus our energy.

Relationship with the Holy Spirit infuses life into everything we do so that even in our seemingly “unproductive” times we are fully engaging with our God-given purpose.

I started praying that prayer in the mornings a few weeks ago, and it immediately shifted my perspective: “Father, emphasize what you have for me today…”

Almost immediately my phone pings with a note from someone I love asking for prayer.

I’ve been briefed. I pray for them as I make breakfast and put off washing up the dishes. I pray in between work emails and while I go on a walk. I pray while I fold laundry and ignore cleaning the bathroom… again. I pray while I go to sleep that night after exhausting my evening entertainment options on Netflix or TV.

The day might’ve felt like any other, but heaven was shifted.

Tomorrow I will go back to “work,” joining heavenly forces, my purpose secure.

Even in the midst of the chaos.

Even in the midst of global crisis.

Even in the mundane of another identical day.

Even when the future is unknown, our purpose is not.

We’re two months into this thing, we can’t change that, but we can offer our everyday as an offering to the Lord.

Peace,

Intern Pastor Meggie Bjertness