can I ask you a question

Have you asked God for what you want?

Sure, you've talked about it ad nauseam to yourself. To your friends. Again to yourself. Maybe you've talked about it with God. 

But have you asked??

Ask. Put yourself out there, and ask.

It's a simple step, but too often glossed over. We want, we want, we want, we want want want want want want. Wanting isn't always wrong; it isn't always right. Depends on what we want. So we scheme, strategize, plot, maneuver, overthink, obsess to get what we want. 

Why should we ask God for what we want? What does asking God do for us?

1) It reminds us that so much is out of our control. We're not in charge. 

2) It's vulnerable to ask. It means we might hear a 'no.' And some of us would rather do anything than risk hearing a 'no.' Truth be told, sometimes what we want is something we know we know is not good for us, that would do us harm. But we still want it. Hearing no can hurt.

3) Asking can show how much and why we want something. When we have to ask, we may have to explain why we want what we want. Luke 11 has this parable about asking God for something. "...yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him whatever he needs (Luke 11:8)" 

You know this to be true. You ask your parents for something one time but never bring it up again, they would reasonably infer that you want it, but not too badly. So it wouldn't matter much if you did not receive it. 

But if you asked. And you asked again. And you asked again. And you talked about it, heard questions, answered questions, and still kept asking. What does this show? It shows that this is something you really, really want. It matters enough for you to show persistence. 

So ... what do you have to ask God for? What do you want? 

Speak up, and ask.

the lies of butterflies

 "There are times when there is no illumination and no thrill, but just the daily round, the common task. Routine is God's way of saving us between our times of inspiration." -Oswald Chambers

I love to *start* road trips. Can't say I feel the same love about sitting in the car for the duration of a road trip.

At some point, I get antsy. I want out -- of the car.

My butt's gone numb. I've shuffled through my go-to playlists. I'm out of range to stream anything new. I've called a few friends to catch up, and I've picked over my snack supply. I look at the dashboard clock -- it's 10:02, and I got nothing to do. "If I keep checking the time, this trip'll feel like forever."

After what feels like waiting an agonizing amount of minutes, I dare look at the clock again.

Only 133 more miles until I change highways, and then another 198 miles until I arrive to my destination.

With any goal we pursue, the thrill of starting the journey does not (and will not) last. The newness wears off.

The start of a new semester in school settles into a predictable routine of class, homework, getting food, studying.

The start of a half-marathon brings so much fanfare! Cheers, crowds, inspiration. Not as much hoopla at mile 5, or mile 10. Just routine of maintaining a doable pace to make it to the end.

The start of hiking to a mountaintop feels so gallant! But after awhile, you're repeating a bland to-do list -- "watch out for loose rocks" -- "watch out for tree roots" -- "stay hydrated" "stay close together". You can't see the peak. But you also can't see where you started. You're just in it.

Starting to re-paint a room looks so audacious with that first swipe of new color! But before long, it's tediously pressing the roller to the wall, back and forth. Trying not to drip paint. Trying not to enjoy the fumes too much.

Monotony. Drudgery. Part of any goal.

When the butterflies of new inspiration and good vibes dissolve away, it doesn't automatically mean we've veered off-track. But sometimes we presume that. You see, so many of us excel at starting something new.

But it requires different skills to *stay* with something long, and to keep chipping away at a goal. For that, we gotta learn how to keep a routine, regardless of how we feel. We must grow more tolerant with some amount of boredom. It just takes time to adopt that pace. Routine is God's way of saving us between moments of inspiration.

So take a breath ... and let that breath out. And do that again.

Let's keep watching the road. The miles, and the minutes, meander by as we slowly climb toward our goals and dreams. Feel free to settle in; there's nowhere else we need to be.

"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love." -2 Peter 1:5