As I write this blog post, I’m in my classroom at Anderson University watching my freshman students make revisions to their essays. It’s tedious work, so I give them specific things to look for:
- in this reading look for passive verbs and rewrite the sentence to make it active;
- now give things and people names (i.e., instead of saying she put the items on the conveyor belt, show me the bran cereal and the ruby red grapefruit);
- this time cut repetitive material,
- and so on.
Making improvements in my spiritual life is also tedious work, and it’s hard for me to see clearly what changes I need to make. Just as my students may look at a paragraph and be overwhelmed when I tell them to revise it, so I feel when I try to determine whether I’m spiritually healthy. Like my students, I may be tempted to throw up my hands and say it’s good enough.
Except that I don’t want to be good enough; I want to be a beautiful and shining servant of God.
What I need is a step-by-step process for evaluating myself. “First look at this, now this, this time consider X…” So I’ve created a list, and I thought you might be able to use it too.
- look for complaints and rewrite them as words of appreciation
- turn my unkind statements about others into words of praise
- replace my laziness with productivity
- instead of worrying, pray
- identify my temptations and remove them (or tame them)
- do what I said I would do
- don’t do what I said I wouldn’t do
- replace an old habit with a new experience
- turn bitterness into forgiveness
How about you? Do you have any suggestions for revisions that we can all make to our lives?
ABOUT HEATHER GEMMEN WILSON
Heather Gemmen Wilson loves to laugh. She says, "Through all the circumstances of my life, I have gained more than I have lost ... and I'm not just talking weight." Heather is married to her best...
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worry not but trust.
not my will but His.
Not my will, but his—that’s a tough one to do, with great reward!
Don’t participate in gossip…walk away from it.
Don’t be quick to judge… Take a second look
I love this list and what a perfect analogy :)
Thanks, Eden. It works for me too. (Of course, just as it’s hard to rewrite essays, it’s tough to enact these changes. Making a list makes it seem like it’s a simple checklist rather than a spiritual battle.)
I love this! And I love how the Lord is being so faithful, as this spiritual improvements subject has been on my mind, particularly last night/this morning.
I would add learn a memory verse each week.
God bless
That’s how the Lord works, speaking into our hearts in so many ways until we hear him. :)
I like what Leslie say about not being quick to judge but taking a second look.
And giving the benefit of the doubt, knowing there is no loss, since pouring kindness onto a bad act is a pretty cool thing to do by the bible!
I just re-read my post, and wanted to be sure to emphasize that good behavior is not what makes our spiritual life strong. All of those things above are important, but just as students need to have good content before they can revise sentences, so we need to have a strong relationship with the Lord before we can refine our character.
Heather
Thanks for writing this JUST FOR ME! I’m home from work today (sick) moping around with my whiney emotions & depressed attitude. I don’t feel well physically so maybe it’s compounding everything.
I’m in need of a good “shaking” and your post did just that.
I’m not completely sure why but I seem to be living in a state of bitterness & anger, regarding everything.
I appreciate your wise words today.
Oh, Wanda! I know the feeling. May the Lord fill you with joy and peace today.
Wanda, I know what that’s like too! Give it to God. He cares.
Oooh – what a great challenge to edit the soul! Thank you for the prompting questions! I might add:
Am I leaving margin in my life for the unexpected that God brings, or are my plans the priority?
Oooh! Good one. This is one I really need to work on. Thanks for sharing.
Love how you tied these things together so nicely.
Great analogies! Awesome useful checklist. I’m definitely adapting that.
Thanks, Heather.
:)
~Donna Marie
That analogy brought out the geek in me – loved it! Such a great list, too. As with writing papers, it’s always much easier for me to spot mistakes that stand out as being undeniably wrong. But, sometimes there are those sentences, paragraphs, or ideas that aren’t necessarily wrong but need to be reworked from “good enough” to “best I can do”. It often slips my mind that I need to make many a conscious effort to make those edits in my life.
My addition to that list would be to always make sure that I’m open to proofreading. No matter how many times I re-read my paper, someone who’s reading it for the first time may spot things that I’ve missed because I’ve become so accustomed to the words that I scan over them without looking in depth. I need to welcome proofreaders into my life without getting defensive.
You’re taking the analogy and running with it. Love it!
Love your list! I think maybe this list should be given to your freshman too! ; )
I think the one that is calling my name is identifying my temptations.
What a wise statement! Sometimes we think we KNOW our temptations because they’re the blaring red flags in our lives…but what about the silent and more quiet temptations. Those temptations that are sending us down the slippery slope instead of off the cliff?
I am asking God to open my eyes and heart and reveal to me the “slippery slope” temptations today. :)
Amen. I pray that along with you for my own life. Thanks for sharing, Kaitlin.
Identify treasures of grace daily to spark a joyful spirit (naming 2 or 3 each day is very helpful).
Thanks for the list and your encouraging words.
Heather, these are all such wonderful ideas–what a magnificent list! Thanks so much for all the great ideas! Blessings!
Such truth, Heather.
I’ve often thought lately that if I ask God’s help to take something out of my mind I have to be open for Him to replace it with something! Just that conscious awareness of taking the bad out and putting the good in helps me! Great words Heather!
Blessings, Amy