In Numbers 13, the Israelites sent spies into the promised land. God promised the land. He told the people it was good. A land flowing with milk and honey. He told them it was their land. When the spies returned they reported that everything was true…the land was good, it was flowing with milk and honey. All they had to do was follow God’s dream for them and take possession of the land. Then one little word changed everything. “But”. “But” was the response of the spies. “But the people were powerful & the cities are fortified.”

“But” – it’s a small word that had a BIG impact on our lives.

“But” precedes all our excuses for not pursing our dreams. How many times have you heard…

• But we’ve never done it that way before.
• But the people we lead won’t go for it.
• But the risk is too big.
• But what happens if we fail.
• But it won’t be popular.
• But (insert your own excuse).

“But” is anchored in fear and doubt. Fear and doubt are the enemies of God’s dreams. They stifle what God wants to accomplish in you. “But” keeps us from leading. It keeps us from pursuing that new venture, taking the leadership risks that could unleash what God has birthed in us. “But” keeps us from our dreams, stops us from reaching our goals, stifles our creativity, and blinds us to new and innovative solutions.

Only two spies actually made it to the promised land. Two spies didn’t let the “but’s” keep them from God’s dream. Only two spies reached their full potential. Maybe we’re not reaching our potential because we have allowed a small word to fill us with fear and doubt.

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How do you balance a life of quiet contemplation, study, and prayer with a life of activity, service, and productivity with the crowd? Are they mutually exclusive? Many think you can’t balance the sacred and the secular. The truth is that busyness can distract us from contemplation & contemplation can insulate us from reality. So how we do live with an eternal focus & also manage the temporal demands that flood us daily?

Gregory the Great said, “activity precedes contemplation, but contemplation must be expressed in service to one’s neighbor”. In other words, we must move from distraction to spirit AND back from spirit to practical service of others.

The contemplative life & the active life are NOT mutually exclusive.

The Contemplative Life (Prayer/Study) EQUIPS us for the Active Life (Service/Productivity)

The Active Life (Service/Productivity) GROUNDS us for the Contemplative Life (Prayer/Study)

A balance between the crowd & the quiet is necessary to live the life Jesus calls us to live. Much of Jesus’ recorded life was spent with the crowd…serving others, healing the sick, teaching his disciples. He was able do this because He would frequently step away from the crowd, from the busyness and withdraw for prayer and contemplation.

I wish I were better at living this balance. The times that I do, I have a greater awareness that God is speaking to me in my daily experiences.

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Well it finally snowed in Atlanta yesterday. Emma has been wanting to see snow all winter. Spending her first 4 years in Taiwan…she had never seen snow before. It started snowing after church so the whole way home, she kept telling Nicole …”this is my first time to see the snow”. She was so excited! She loved the snow but kept saying that it’s too cold! Man, does she take after her mommy or what??

One of the fascinating aspects of adoption is that our daughter gets to verbalize all of her FIRSTS…her excitement & wonder is contagious. Too often we take the little things for granted…seeing God’s goodness in the snow, slowing down to actually enjoy a meal, & taking in the beauty that surrounds us. My prayer is that I will take the time to experience life and take it all in, not simply rush through the day and miss out on ALL the beauty that surrounds me.

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