One Thing

A few weeks ago I asked Becky Pliego (who writes at Daily on My Way to Heaven) to share with us on the topic of godly priorities in the New Year. She graciously accepted my request and wrote the exact post I was hoping she would–a post that will direct our hearts to the Savior and his indescribable love this year. May 2013 be marked for each of us by a deep sense of our need for the Lord and an awareness of his unfathomable grace in our lives. ~Jessalyn

The New Year has begun and most likely you are now starting your daily routine filling in some lines on your planner. Some of my friends like to set new year’s resolutions, others (and this is me), like to have a New Year’s theme, but no matter what our plans or goals are for the days ahead, we should strive with all our heart and might for one thing.

One thing above all else. One thing before anything else. One thing from which all the rest derive: Seek God.

One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.  (Psalm 27:4)

We certainly don’t know what is ahead of us; we know for sure that in the year to come we will face beautiful times, times of joy and peace but we will also face times in which our faith will be tested (and I tremble as I type these words). We can also rest assured that if we love God, all things (those that we understand and those that we don’t) will work together for our own good and will bring glory to God.  But we must not be foolish, we must with all diligence seek God to be ready for the days ahead.

David understood this and on Psalm 27 verse 5 he said:

In the day of trouble

He will keep me safe in his dwelling;

He will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

And set me high upon a rock.

What a blessing it is to see this with the eyes of faith!  When seeking God is the one thing, the most important thing in our lives, we can rest assured that we will always be kept safe in our Father’s dwelling place. We can live each one of the days ahead trusting that God is –and will always be- our Rock, our Refuge, our Strong Tower.

Starting a new year is always a joy, it is refreshing, it almost smells like fresh white linen. It is just beautiful. We can start fueling it with our will power (and feel tired and disappointed pretty soon) or we can start it seeking the one thing that will help us grow in our sanctification and will help us live the Christian life in our daily routine. One thing, sisters, let’s seek that one thing that has the power to change all our bad habits, the power to help us become more like Him, the power to change us from the inside out; let us seek His face day and night, day after day.

Seeking God is not a matter of making the resolution to spend more time with Him and to read all the Bible in a year and to pray certain minutes a day, and try to be a better Christian. This is not something that emanates from having a strong will or from the feeling that we think we can achieve it. It is, instead, an act of love, it is our breath, it is of food, our water, our life, the pulse of our spiritual life. It is what drives us, what moves us to serve our family, to love our neighbors, to act in mercy. It is also what makes us want to move our bodies and be good stewards of our health and resources. Seeking God is what births in us the desire and willingness to read the Scriptures, to study them, to memorize them. Seeking God is the one thing from which all other good things emanate.

Sisters, let’s strive this year for that one thing above all the rest, I am sure that as we seek Him we will be able to lift our voice with the Psalmist and say, day after day:

I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

Be strong and take heart

And wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27: 13-14)

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky

Becky is a Mexican living in one of the most crowded cities in the world, Mexico City. She has been happily married to an incredible man for almost 20 years. They have four children (from lower grammar to College) and have homeschooled them following the Classical Christian Education model. Becky enjoys the big books and the small books, she loves to study God’s word and read mostly, from dead authors, like the Puritans. She currently teaches Spanish at Veritas Press Scholars; loves to take out her watercolors on a sunny Saturday and paint, and you will always see her with her camera ready to capture the simple everyday moments that make up her days. She loves to bake muffins for her family on Saturdays while they are still asleep, so they wake up to the sweet smell of home. You can find Becky on her main blog Daily On My Way to Heaven.