How do I give 100% of my efforts to Jesus?

Q: How do I give 100% of my efforts to Jesus? There are times I feel it is so easy and other times it is such a struggle. Does the day come when everything falls in place and stays in place?

This is the constant struggle of a Jesus-follower: Can I watch the game, love my spouse, teach high school, play in a rock band, and discipline my toddler, all for God? The answer is yes, you can. There are a few really big things that can help you become fully alive in Christ (or give 100% of your life).

1. Make worship a way of life. If you try to live each day honoring God in all that you do and loving and serving creation, you'll be less tempted to box away small sections of your life that "don't count". Having Jesus as Lord means his Way is the guideline for everything you do, not just what you do on Sunday. That includes relationships, finances, mental and physical health, work, and play.

2. Be a part of a community of faith. Having other people around who are trying to do the same thing you are – follow God – is a huge help. It's a big reason why Jesus created the church, in fact.

3. Find out what your strengths are, and operate out of them. When you love and live and work primarily out of your strengths, you honor the way God made you and you live really well. So, if you are by nature and giftedness an incredibly skilled mathematician, your job as a property manager may not honor God and inspire people the way a job as an engineer might. Where natural and built-up ability, special giftedness, and personal passion intersect, there is a beautiful and holy synergy. When you get there, you can function at the center of God's purpose for you.

4. Serve. It's amazing how much service helps us understand Jesus. This is another great thing about being a part of a community of faith – we are always seeking opportunities to serve because it matures us in our faith.

And yes, there are days (weeks, months, seasons) when it seems nearly effortless. And yes, there are days (weeks, months, seasons) when it's an incredible struggle. And we mess it up plenty. The good news is that God's love for us is not dependent on or equivalent to how much we "get it right". And there's a remedy for our sin, which the church calls confession (naming our sin before God), repentance (turning back toward God), and forgiveness (being made clean again by God).

Living Real

by Cara McLauchlan

It’s time for me to start being more honest about things. Like the fact that I don’t like Starbucks Coffee. There. I said it. I know everyone loves Starbucks Coffee and how great it tastes. But I really think that it tastes like someone’s socks that have been boiled for long periods of time.

I've decided that this is going to be my “Year of the Real.” I’ve noticed that my life has slowly gathered a lot of unwelcome clutter. Things that I have not really said “yes” to, but that I have not said “no” to in an out loud way.

My life has become about keeping my options neatly packaged and hermetically sealed. I don’t know how I got so afraid. It seems to go out and claim your “Yes!” you have to be a bit naked. I have been silently closing, locking and boarding up every open door of risk for fear of something bad happening.

Thoughts of the Boogie Man, children dying in the night, robbers, house fires, IRS audits and the fact that I haven’t cleaned out my dryer lint trap fill my head every night. I have found so many things to fear. I think there is a demented place in me that thinks if I actually worry about it, I can somehow prevent it from happening.

The truth is that bad stuff happens even if we worry about it. But so does the good. And you might as well go about enjoying your stay here on earth until the Big Guy calls your number.

Which brings me to the subject of God. I think God likes to hear us speak to him in a real way – even if it’s not holy or flowery or even happy. And praying does not just happen on our knees or with the Bible neatly placed before us. I pray to God as I am driving, when I’m exercising, when I am cooking. My favorite time to pray is when I am pumping gas. I have found that because I drive a ridiculous gas-guzzler, I can create a bit of peace about it by praying for people while I fill up. I think God likes it when we include him our days, even if it’s at the gas station.

Living real can be hilarious. This week I was driving past a group of construction workers and for the 999th time they all stopped, stared and oogled me as I went by. Instead of my typical approach of feeling intimidated and averting my eyes, I did something else. I looked them all directly in the eyes and like a five-year-old I stuck out my tongue, crossed my eyes and made an absolutely ridiculous face.

They were stunned. They couldn’t believe this well-dressed, suburban woman would do such a thing. I roared with laughter as I watched their faces in my rear-view mirror.

I was real. I didn’t back down. And it felt really good.

Cara McLauchlan is really a writer that lives in Fuquay-Varina, NC. When she is not making ridiculous faces at construction workers, she is also a mommy and believes that Flavia makes the best coffee on this planet. She can be reached at cara@crankymommies.com or 919/552.1818.