Knowing What to Do and What Not to Do
So, how are you doing on your one-month-to-live experience? I know there are going to be some ups and downs in our journey for the next 30 days, but don’t get discouraged. If you keep asking that question, “What would I do if I knew I had one month to live?” each and every day, it will make a tremendous difference in your life.
Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
I think what I need more than anything else in life is wisdom from God. I need wisdom to know what to do, and I need wisdom to know what not to do. When my schedule gets overcrowded, I feel overloaded and stressed because I try to do too much. More important than a “to do” list for me is a “not to do” list. For some things, I just need to learn to say no.
One of the ways God teaches me what to do and what not to do is through pain. Whenever my life gets overloaded and I am trying to do too much, God allows a painful experience to come my way. I’ve discovered we usually don’t change when we see the light but are more likely to change when we feel the heat.
Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.”
I remember several years ago I was living in a constant state of overload. I started experiencing anxiety attacks that made me have to get serious about examining my life. God really used that pain to wake me up to the fact that my life was out of balance. Although I was doing many “good things” not all of them were “God-things”.
It was that painful experience that really woke me up to the fact that my life had been out of balance for years. I was trying to do too much for God. I think that’s an easy thing for me to fall into – trying to do way too much rather than depend upon Him. That experience made me realize that our bodies and emotions were not made to live in a constant state of overload.
So, how about you? Have you had a painful experience that’s been a wake-up call about your life being out of balance? Whenever my life starts to get overloaded and over-crowded, God sounds a wake-up call for me to get on my knees and say, “Lord, teach me how to number my days so that I can gain a heart of wisdom.”
I would like to hear from you. Have you gone through a stressful situation with an overloaded schedule? How did you feel? What is God using to wake you up to make the changes you need to make?
I‘m praying for you today that God gives you a heart of wisdom to know what to do and what not to do.
Comments
I am a single mother of four. My day starts at 6am. Me and my children are out the door by six, I start dropping them at shcool one by one and I am the last one in shcool myself. I get out of school by 3:30-4:30 picking up my children from shcool one by one again. We get home by 5-5:30 eat take a shower and go to our church. I am blessed of being part of a church that is always on the go. We are always busy for Jesus, aswell as all of my children. It is very easy to get cought up in my busy schedule and it is very easy to not make any room for God in my life, sounds funny because almost everyday of the week I am in church involved in serving God but that is not building my relationship with God. The only thing that builds my relationship with God is prayer, fasting and reading my word. I have to make time for God and during my school breaks I go and I read my word, and I talk to God, every little time I have I spend it with God and also doing what he wants me to do and that is serving others. I have been serving the Lord for 2 years, and I a an ex drugaddict, and I love the Lord and I love my church I love Gods people and I love serving others. One thing I can tell others is love the Lord with all your heart and love all that you do for the Lord with all your heart, even thought others dont see it God sees it. May the Lord bless u all amen.
Posted by: amalia giron | April 16, 2008 09:59 PM
i'm a 44 year old wife, mom, grandmaw and i'm bipolar to boot, my life is out of wack. I dont know how to get in touch with God anymore, there are days when i'm not in touch with anything, and then theres my meds, they keep me leveled at times but not all times. I struggle with how does God love me, when i cant always show i love him first?
Posted by: sandra | February 14, 2008 09:29 PM
I am a wife, mother of 2 under 10yrs, and business owner who has been feeling depressed, stressed, and overwhelmed living through the past 8 months. The outcome of some of MY choices have consumed my time..see that's the problem. Through prayer, I've come to realize that what I wanted, may not have been what God wanted for me and my life. I wasn't listening to what God was telling me all along. I moved to this area only 1 month after the death of a parent to take over a failing business that I've had success with in another state. Five months later, my parent's sibling went home also. For most people, leaving their home and business behind to start over is risky, but we knew that God has always been there for us and he would not leave us alone. I praise God daily for sustaining me. This experience has drawn me closer to him. Through all of this pain I've started to feel that I need to do more with my life and my kids because our days are numbered. God needs more of me for Him. I've been having a yearning and desire to sell both businesses in order to devote more time to my family and God's work. When I saw your T.V. program today regarding "One Month to Live" this was an awesome revelation to me! I had to view the website, and then saw this blog. How awesome is God!!! Thank you for blessing me today and I look forward to reading the book and taking the challenge.
Posted by: Ken | February 14, 2008 06:18 AM
My life has changed a lot during the last 8 years. Is like a roll coaster, coming from Latin-America with such a good fancy life, then run away for security reassons, with a wonderfull marriage everything fall in parts,I´m divorce now after 15 years married with a wonderfull man, my dad died in my country I couldn´t go over there for inmigrations reassons, and now my step dady, my second dady has cancer in a very advance stage...I´m now raising my daughter bymiself, working 24/7, being a good daughter, a good mother, a good nanny, a good sister, a good friend,and still thinking in workout... takes a lot, but even I feel that I dont have more energy to continue, with all the problems to solve, that I just can´t, I feel every day more and more strong in Gods faith, every day He fill me with hope and happyness, I never was as happy as I am now, even when I´m sad, I´m so happy to still breathing, and only God give me that feeling, I now all the problems that I can not hold, all of them are in His hands, I just breath , He is doing the rest for me.Please pray for my step dady, for my situation in this bless country, for my family far away, I miss them every day more and more, but I have God with me, and He is bigger than all that I´m facing now.
Every morning I just wake up with one thought in my mind THANK YOU GOD FOR ONE DAY MORE IN YOUR HANDS.
Posted by: ANDREA SALAZAR | January 15, 2008 06:01 AM
It seems my day begins and ends with what to do and not do today. There has been so much on my plate as of late, with family schedules, church schedules, and personal schedules. I am ready at times to throw the calendar out the window. I know the main point is to make sure my time with God is there. However, when I am so caught up, or not caught up that I have a hard time doing that it stresses me out even more. Being a pastor and trying to find time with God is a necessity. I want my life to be scheduled. I want my life to be organized. If I had only one month to get their, maybe then I would strive harder and get more determined. I am looking forward to reading your book. Thanks for your work and heart for the Lord.
Posted by: Pastor HJ | November 15, 2007 12:20 AM
I just got back from visiting my Mother – 83 years old and departing from us with Alzheimer’s and other health issues. She still has her sense of humor, but so much of her real person is already gone. Re-examining my life and One Month To Live has become real. As I visited with my sweet mother – her mind continued back to childhood days.
As I write this – I pray for Wisdom – that each word that takes up space will perform a work in the heart of even one of His children – I pray for Wisdom, that every expression on my face as I go to work today, will encourage someone – draw someone closer to Him – eternity is so … forever. I purpose to think more about every action – will it woo someone closer to seek Him. When I get a bit confused about what my short purpose is, I think of Mom – her life has no huge impact on the world, but she has impacted all those who ever met her – hers is full of impact – she literally GAVE HERSELF – always trusting her Lord to guide her through – her choices are gone now – but that’s okay because she made the right ones while she still had the capabilities. I must make every choice now – before they are gone.
Posted by: Kathy Potter | October 24, 2007 11:59 AM
Last year I faced many challenges in my marriage. I was not attending church I had not been to a church in over 9 years. I was under so much pressure, stress, and sadness that I ended up with gastritis due to all the challenges I was faced with. After seeing the GI doctor he told me that one of the things I had to get rid of was my husband I mean my "stress". My life as well as our daughters would have been very different if I would have made that choice both emotionally and financially, so I started going to FOTW and little by little I have started to heal, I now kneel at my bedside every morning and pray and thank God for everything in my life I am always talking to him, it is second nature to me now. When I get worried I go into prayer mode and feel much better, even when I am like the octopus doing so much at once. We are still married trying to make the best of it, at least I am and I believe he is too (even if it is at a turtle pace) thanks to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I do believe God loves us, but when we stray he will make us kneel and come back to him at any cost, whatever that may be. I have learned to leave all to him, and I just wait. So if I had 30 days to live, I would continue to praise him and continue to heal until there is no more pain and would probably send greeting cards to all those who I may have offended and vice-versa; telling them that I forgive them and hope they can forgive me too.
Posted by: Dalila | October 22, 2007 05:11 AM
I have been blessed to be able to work as a Dir. of an Assisted Living. I spend many hours with our seniors and families when they approach end stages of life. As difficult and demanding as the job is the rewards are immense. Being able to help families say what they need to say and allow their loved one to go.The one month to live has helped me to take a step back, not sewat the little stuff and turn me around a little to practice what I preach with my own family. I am making sure I sieze every opportunity with my husband and children.
Posted by: Liz Montana | October 21, 2007 10:35 PM
My family just recently lost a loved one. He was 34 and died in a plane crash. It was devastating! While mourning, we talked to so many of his friends and crazy as it seems, my cousin actually told one friend that the last month of his life was the best month ever. He just lived it to the fullest.
My cousin was an extremist at everything he did, work, skydiving, talking to his friends! Everything! I've realized that I need to be happy with myself and I need to do God's will not do everything I want to do! I think God woke me up...I need to be happy and not complain about being overloaded but DO something about it. =)I need to lead by example for the rest of my family who don't know Christ and for my son who I pray will be a follower of Jesus!
Posted by: Autumn | October 21, 2007 06:56 PM
I would put God’s will ahead of my will with every bit of strength and focus possible. I would include my daughter and family in helping others and the community in ways that would make the most difference for that month. And of course there would be some silly fun added in.
Posted by: Leland | October 21, 2007 03:32 PM
I am a busy mom of 3 boys and a house wife. I am constantly doing one thing and another. I guess God did'nt make me an octopus, although that would have been convinient. He gave me two hands only. He made me in his image. Since last Sunday I took on the 30 days to live challenge. Today my 7 year old son broke me out of my routine and the world stopped turning. He began to ask me a lotta deep thinking theological questions. I dropped everything and we read God's word together. This was one of the many things I said I'd do if I had 30 days to live. I intend on leading my children to the savior by teaching them his word.
Posted by: Jammie | October 20, 2007 07:15 AM
I am a busy mom of 3 boys and a house wife. I am constantly doing one thing and another. I guess God did'nt make me an octopus, although that would have been convinient. He gave me two hands only. He made me in his image. Since last Sunday I took on the 30 days to live challenge. Today my 7 year old son broke me out of my routine and the world stopped turning. He began to ask me a lotta deep thinking theological questions. I dropped everything and we read God's word together. This was one of the many things I said I'd do if I had 30 days to live. I intend on leading my children to the savior by teaching them his word.
Posted by: Jammie | October 20, 2007 07:15 AM