Effort.

That's a word that sometimes we probably don't like very much. Why? The answer is simple. In fact I'm almost 99.7% sure you've got this figured out already.
It implies work. It implies that there is a goal that we're working towards, and we have to put effort into this task in order to succeed whatever it is that we're trying to accomplish.
Well what if I set a goal to grow closer to God and tried it for a day, and it was great, it worked really well, I had a great day. And the next day I decided to take a day off?
Well on this day off, I would probably not be as productive, in general. And my attitude may not be particularly pleasant. And I definitely wouldn't feel like I did the previous day.
The thing with effort is, it's working towards the goal. If my goal is growing closer to God than I can't take a day off. Effort wants to see things through to the end. Growing closer to God is a big goal, one that's not going to be reached to it's full potential until I'm with Him in Heaven.
So why bother? It's not actually going to get me anywhere anyway. I might as well just live how I want to, cares about pleasing God aside, right? (yeah, yeah, you know the answer to this one, too.)
Wrong!
My goal here on earth is to please Him, grow closer to Him, and obey His commands.
But that's not an easy goal, it's going to take some effort.
Feel like we're right back where we started? That's because we are.
Sometimes if I'm not thinking about it, it's really easy to momentarily forget my goal. And it's easy to not be thinking about it, if I'm not spending enough time focusing on it.
Now. When I first set this goal, I thought "Well. I guess I need to read the Bible" (yes, I am aware it's such a basic way to start) And so I started reading a chapter of the Bible every morning. Woo-hoo, right? Well, sort of. Like I said, it was a way to start. I later realized that it wasn't amounting to much in the grand scheme of things, although it was a great way to head into the hours that the day still held. Over the past couple of weeks I've tried some other ways (in addition to the morning chapter or two) to be focused on God's word.
Including...
before I go to bed, making a list of somewhat-life-affecting lessons I learned that day.
here's a couple of examples of that:
1. God wants us to trust Him so much that we would be willing to give up our "first fruits" and trust that He will continue to provide for us.
2. It is important to never, ever, EVER, stop praying for someone. Never, ever. God can change anyone's heart. You just have to be patient and wait for His timing, His timing is best.
3. Be thankful. Don't take anything for granted. There are so many people who would give up so much just to have something like you have that you see as insignificant.
So yeah, those were some that I wrote down sometime last week. Sometimes there's obviously going to be repeats because these are the kind of lessons that you have to learn again and again, and keep reminding yourself of. That's why I've enjoyed going back and reading over these lists, it's really helpful, especially when you can remember the experience that inspired that lesson to be on your list. It's quite effective, I think.
Keeping a Bible verse in your pocket.
I just did this yesterday, and it was really fun. I wrote down a verse on a simple piece of paper with fun handwriting, put some color on it, then stuck it in my pocket. That way I had it with me all day long, something about keeping it right at my side helped it to stick close to mind as well.
The verse was Proverbs 27:5: Better is open rebuke, than hidden love.
I love that verse.
Memorizing.
This is certainly not a new idea. As a little kid, I went to all sorts of bible programs where if we memorized our bible verses, we'd get a treat, or some sort of points that would ultimately lead to us getting a treat.
But nobody's offering me anything to memorize verses now, and so for a couple years, I had no motive to do it. But then I realized that it's my responsibility as a Christian to know about what I believe. It only makes sense. I personally, like to write the verses I'm memorizing out, over and over and over. You should see my notebook, haha.
Living like a Christian
I don't want to claim that I'm a Christian, I want to BE one, and LIVE like one. And so I've been trying to do that. Even though sometimes it's really tempting to not do the dishes when not asked. (And I've got to admit, I'm guilty of letting that one go, multiple times) But it's so rewarding. When you honor someone else's existence by doing something kind for them that they're not expecting, it has to brighten their day.
This morning I was out and again, had this on the mind. It was my goal to be kind to people, to love them as people, even if I didn't know them and they seemed a little cold in general. Because Jesus did it, and He said that we should do it, too.
"And they'll know we are Christians by our love"
So a couple things that stood out to me while I did this today.
The sales lady.
I was shopping for a dress and so I went to Dress Barn. I've been there before, I know how their sales system works. They are super-kind and write your name on the dressing room door, and offer to assist you in any way they can. The thing is, it's kind of, sort of, not always real. I got to the store approximately 2  minutes after they opened, I was the only one there and I overheard the manager correcting the sales lady on some things she did while working that apparently wasn't the stores typical way of doing it (by the way, it wasn't an argument or said in anger or anything, it was a simple correction) but I could tell that the sales lady wasn't exactly pleased to hear this--no one would be-- but she helped me just like any other sales lady at Dress Barn had done before. When she asked if I'd found anything, I said "I don't think so this time, but thank you for helping me" (insert smile here) and she smiled back. And it was genuine, and it made me happy.
The Walking Guy
I went on a back road to get to a different store, and there was a guy walking towards me on the side of the road. There was also a large pickup truck coming towards me in his lane. So I had to come to a halt, which technically I wouldn't have, had said walking guy moved out of my way in time. And I mean, I wasn't exactly thrilled with the suddenish stop, but he could see my facial expression and I could see his, so I smiled and waved at him and he lit up. I mean, I could tell he was expecting me to scowl at him and speed down the road in a huff. And his expression was one of gratitude. That made my day.

See this theme? You act like a Christian, you make an effort, people appreciate it. And when they don't, oh well! Because God appreciates it, and if your goal is to please Him anyway, bing bing bing! Win.

Now I realize this post sounded a lot like "oh see what I'm doing, oh, oh, oh, aren't I good?" but please understand that I don't succeed in my efforts half as much as I'd like to. In this post I was trying to present different ideas of how to spend more time with the Lord, and highlighting the things that are working for me.
Since I'm in a positive mood, it's easy to do.
But there are times, when I am Miss Chelsea Rain Cloud. Please don't think that I think that I'm any better than you. (My self-confidence lacking background assures me that this is not the case.)
I am just so happy about what God's doing in my life, and how he's showing me that when I do walk in His ways, it's extremely rewarding.
So I'm making an effort, and I hope you'll join me.

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19

Chelsea :)