Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Inwardness

"All too often we are fixated on our outwardness, while God is focused on our inwardness."

What if I could divide all of my concerns and thoughts into two categories: outward and inward? If I made two lists, my "outward" list would take pages.  My clothes, hair, makeup.  My kids' clothes, hair, behavior.  My house - the cleanliness, the decor.  My yard.  My bank account, my stock portfolio, my retirement accounts.  My van.  Etc.

My "inward" list would be pretty short.  Well, non existent. 

What inward concerns and thoughts do I have?  Very few.  Only when I am intentionally addressing those issues.  I consider the peace in my heart, as well as my feelings towards other peoples.  But I only consider those issues during my quiet time. 

That is, when I have quiet time.  For that 15-20 minute time period a few times a week, I consider my inward issues.  Not for the entire quiet time, because I have to tell God my prayer requests.  But for a few minutes of that quiet time I consider my inward issues.

How upside down are my priorities?  I focus on my outward issues all day, every day.  Without fail.  What if I spent a whole day focusing on my inward issues?
Hanegraaff reminds is that God doesn't care about our outward issues.  So why do we?  Is it the devil wiggling his way into our brain, keeping our thoughts sidetracked?  Or is it the influence of the world?

This post was inspired by the book The Prayer of Jesus by Hank Hanegraaff.

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