Genuine change must be birthed in recognition and remorse. Recognition of how much we have bargained away precious dreams for fool’s gold . Remorse over years of compromise to God and ourselves. Both recognition and remorse are painful and we have learned to avoid them. Yet to properly experience recognition and remorse there needs to be quiet time away from props and people.

It is never easy to shift into neutral, slow down and turn off the adrenal rush of daily survival. Speed is addictive, motion feels good, faster computer, newer car, bigger house, better job. Wind feels pleasant against the face, however rushing here and there does not mean we are moving forward. In honesty, like a caged animal, most of us are going in circles, running away from disturbing recognition and the eventuality of remorse.

The first two disciplines we are going to discuss involve, stop and take stock time. The inward desert journey to a barren soul, famished with frivolous and wasteful living. The last discipline is about change.

SOLITUDE
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayer
                                                        Luke 5:16

At this moment there are forty major blockbuster, world exclusive, live, real time, raw and uncut, gardening, cooking, nature, fishing, sport extravaganza, all piped into your living room in full color and surround-sound. And don’t touch that dial man, because live, from New York, is the David, the-last-thing-I-think-about-before-I-go-to-bed show, starring Cotton Carnal Candy, undressing your morals with the fingers of a godless mind.

Staring at millions of tiny dancing lights, the clock turns you closer to uselessness until, finally, in some old age home, painted in lime green with pink motif, you exclaim, my, where has the time gone? Death finally puts to rest endless hours of worthlessness and personal compromise.

During times of failure and sin we too often avoid the inner voice as one would evade an intimate friend. We are afraid of the tuff questions. Yet we must live with ourselves to live in freedom. Alone with oneself will bring about interesting conversation. From the nearsighted bustle, we can step back and view the big picture, seeing years not moments, and patterns emerge. Then the hard questions come. Where am I going? What have been I doing all these years? If you tarry alone long enough, there will be realization. And the answers can bring remorse.

Not enough can be said about the need for time alone to reestablish significance and weed out the accumulative residue of meaningless living. Solitude is a time to take stock and find God in the quiet, wrestle with remorse, solidifying fresh decision through repentance. If you have not practiced this often then it will be difficult to start to do because your value system will be disjointed. You will have the busy bug, racing around doing much and bearing little fruit.

Find a green space outside your home; a place with birds, trees and open sky. Take walks alone and reacquaint yourself with the stillness of creation. Likewise, make a sacred space in your home. An undisturbed place lit with candles and soft praise music, a bible and pillows to sit on. In solitude, you will discover that the greatest resources were already available to you, on the inside.

"One of those days when Jesus went out to a mountain side to pray, and spent the night praying to God." (Luke 6:12) Jesus knew the weariness of a long day. He found it difficult to find a moment alone, continuously being sought after by a hungry mob. Long after the crowds went home, when the world was hushed in the quietness of slumber, He slipped to a place of solitude and communed with the Father till morning. In spite of being tired, He saw a greater need than His body getting sleep.

Quiet time with God and yourself is the backbone to freedom. I could not survive without a generous time away from friends, family, phone and responsibilities. Solitude is a time when God can corner me without the backdoor of a TV converter drowning away the convicting Voice of the Holy Spirit. It is when I review rash words, capture worries and place them into perspective. A time of humility where I am reminded of my smallness and insignificance. Then a song bird or fresh breeze or simply silence will remind me of God’s grace toward me. I always come back to the pack a better man, renewed in mind and revived vision.

Contentment
Closure, serenity, being centered, living in the now, the Word calls it contentment. And there’s nothing quite like it. "I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind (Ecc.1:14)." True today, as it was three thousand years ago. Meaningless fruitless living were momentary tranquility is found in the multitude of modern addictions. Yet, do we not hunger for the permanence of contentment, thirst for rich meaningfulness? It cannot be met under this sun.

The North American lifestyle comes equipped with an extravagant supply of extra unnecessary options. They fill driveways and garages. All these things need to be maintained, updated and even once in awhile, played with.

I love keeping up with the latest guff on computer technology. Often I would read PC World, drooling over the full color center folds. Their sleek lines and rich assorted textures, lightning speed chips, huge hard drives, brilliant monitors, wow, I was lusting after these babies. I would sit in front of my 1,800 century Lap Top, wind it up, turn it on and go cut the grass, come back and maybe . . . if it decided to awake, I would stare at a beehive of gray, barely articulate shapes. On the wall adjacent, hung a picture of this month’s Mss. Computer, warring only a Bill Gates’ smile. Instead of writing, I would dream of running free over mountains and lush valleys, just me and my new computer, making beautiful books together. I had convinced myself I needed a new Lap Top to be productive in writing. Oh yah, I had it all nicely justified, fast access to info, quick spell checker (which I used all the time), bigger 12.1 inch screen. I became obsessed, until finally, God smashed in on my little fantasy with some dispassionate reality. The minuscule time I may have saved with new electronic wheels, were long lost over the hours of reading and dreaming computers. I had become completely unproductive. Hadn’t written a thing in three weeks. So, I put on my best shirt and tie, bought my Lap top a brand new used CD drive for forty bucks and took her out for supper. After, we went back to my place for a few chapters.

It was great. I love my old Lap Top. We’ve been through a lot together. Besides, I’m too busy to break in another one. That old girl almost writes by itself. Oh, and by the way, I will never get back those lost three weeks. Who knows what life changing work could have been accomplished if simply content with what I have. A lesson well learned.

We chew through time as if it is a renewable resource. Its not! I have two daughters. The time I do not take to be there for them can never be given back. If you struggle with addiction, chances are you fight compulsiveness. Compulsive behavior can waste terrible chunks of time on stupid tangents. Be content. Keep it simple. Focus on what really matters in life. People not things. God what’s you touching people. Don’t let anyone tell you what you need. They just want your money. Don’t become a slave to things. Possess only what’s working for you not the other way around.

Contentment elevates you above the trappings of a fallen world. You will laugh in the face of want because God is your Provider.

Live with purpose
Most people live in a constant state of dissatisfaction. Why? The answer is clear. We are not fulfilling the calling God has on our lives. We are looking for fulfillment in the busyness and glamour of this world which for true Christians, creates only a greater dissatisfaction. We often prioritize time according to emotion instead of what really matters. Hours can be consumed in useless tasks, playing with grains of sand, when we can be moving mountains.

Live to the ripe age of eighty years old, and you have been allotted 700,800 hours in your life.

Subtract in hours:

233,600 for sleep
87,600 for preparing and eating food
99,450 for work
58,400 for entertainment
29,200 in the washroom
22,630 driving

What’s left is 169,920 hours of time to do something extra, something powerful that would define the gifts God has given you. The help only you can give because you are an important piece of the big picture. Powerful people have learned that time is an investment, and if used correctly, can pay off great dividends.

OK, so what do I do, give my boss two week’s notice, get immunized for malaria, read a book on how to recognize poisonous spiders and sign up to Africa Inland Mission? Maybe. Don’t be so sure where you would be right now if you had been true to the heart dream God planted in you at birth. To be fair, most of us are completely unequipped to pull off a Peter or Paul. It’s that immediately part of following Jesus which demands courage. I can’t even bring myself to tell someone at work I’m one of those born-againers they’re always making fun of let alone go to Africa.

Start small. Think of the things you know that should have been accomplished yesterday and get up and do them. It will feel great. Stuff that would only take five minutes to do, but no, we sit there thinking, worrying about it, as if we have no control over the simplest tasks. Doing the bills, sticking a load of whites in the laundry, taking fifteen minutes and do the dishes. Oh, they’re bugging you, sitting there like a mound of mom’s insults. You even say, "I really should do those dishes." Maybe you discuss it with a friend. Meanwhile, the dishes pile up. Procrastination is in its heart, is another selfishness. A worship of "my personal feelings". It takes courage to go against all-powerful feelings and do something you don’t feel like doing.

Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.

Joshua 1:6

Moses was dead. Joshua must now lead a million people into a land filled with milk and honey—and giants. No support groups, nor Anthony Robbins inspirational tapes to listen to along the long dusty marches. No one that would understand, only a dull duty that says I can do this because I believe in myself—no! I believe in God, my strength. Get up! Pull all the plates and cutlery out of the sink. Walk around your house seven times singing Amazing Grace, then fill the sink with warm soapy water and scour by faith. TV calls, fear begs for attention. Let it go! Exercise authority and do the dishes. Then move on to saving the world for Jesus. Victorious in small, victorious in big!