If you follow my page Proverbially Emily on Facebook you might have caught my post about trying to organize my thoughts. Turns out my thoughts are too big to be contained in one blog. Therefore this will be the second in a series of blogs on similar topics. TBD for when the series ends!
Crusader: Noun. A person who campaigns vigorously for political, social, or religious change.
We need to be campaigning vigorously for religious change, but I think we have a lot of it backward. Therefore we are not as effective in our efforts and it would behoove us to assess why.
Last week in Comfortable Crusader I talked a bit about how we’ve become a bit too comfortable in our day-to-day lives. Because of this, we’ve maybe started to let some of the worldly ways into our system. In doing so we currently fit Christ into our lives VS. Living our lives for Christ.
Tip-Toe Time
Who out there feels like they tip-toe around people?
I do, I love to keep everyone happy, but am learning that is one impossible scale to balance.
If you’re the kind of person who wants to make everyone happy. Keep the peace, no matter the cost. Keep silent so as to not let your opinion set any waves in motion…These are attributes of a people pleaser. People pleasers tend to be Cautious Crusaders.
Spending your time and energy tip-toeing around and navigating these areas of your life.
How much time and energy do you spend a week on other people’s thoughts and feelings?
The only person we need to please in this world is Jesus.
A wise woman knows: Almost anything you do is going to make somebody unhappy.
Women who do too much ~ Patricia Sprinkle
It’s a good thing we aren’t placed in this world to be (insert name of the person we are pleasing) ____________’s Crusaders.
Pattern of Perfection
Perhaps you’re the type of person who is a perfectionist.
I am this person. It’s the hardest part for me to let go of.
If I’m honest I haven’t gotten very far in the past 6 or so months of really digging into who I am.
The book I’m sharing in this blog today is the one that has finally shed light on the way I hear it.
That or everything I’ve been working on lately, lets me hear it for the first time. Less junk in the ‘ol noggin getting in the way. Whatever the case, it’s putting it into practice that is the toughest battle.
Being a perfectionist really just means “I like things done my way”
Women who do too much ~ Patricia Sprinkle
However, life is too short and precious for any of us to go through it doing everything for other people because we believe our way to do anything is the only way. God has different designs for different lives. We sin if we try and shape everybody else in our own image. Besides, think how much free time we aquire by letting other people do some of the things their way.
Being a perfectionist is basically trying to control all things, therefore you’ve become a Cautious Crusader. Because, if you have your hand in all of it, you feel safer.
There are many different ways in which one can fall into the Cautious Crusader category.
Today I chose to highlight two. Tip-Toeing around Others and our need for Perfection.
These are two large ones in my life.
Honestly, dig deep into your life and look at all things in which you may have caution tape around.
Maybe it’s in the topic of conversations, maybe it’s in Boundaries, maybe it’s in parenting.
Christ’s Crusader
If we are meant to be Chris’s Crusaders (spoiler alert – we are) then we need to throw our “caution to the wind” or rather to the one who created the wind. Give your Caution to Christ. Just like the first blog, this one is also meant for just you. We cannot change others, we can only change ourselves. Likewise, Christ created us all differently for a purpose, trust in His purpose.
For the Cautious Crusader to become Christ’s Crusader maybe the Serenity prayer is a place where one can start.
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
~Niebuhr
Courage to change the things that I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
I was giving too much of my life to everyone else and giving very little of it to Christ.
In doing so I was fitting Christ into my life VS. Living my life for Christ.
The book I referenced today is helpful in setting boundaries in life.
It helps bring the focus back to God, and His desires for your life.
It’s meant to highlight some of the ways we fill our time without realizing we fill our time.