Hold on

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

Matthew 13:24-30

You can't feed a sleeping baby.

Sleeping and eating are two of the many basic needs a baby has. Both are essential, but they can't be done at the same time. When a baby chooses to sleep, it is choosing not to eat and vice versa. When you are watering and caring for the plants in your field, you are not pulling weeds. When multiple tasks require your time,  you have to decide which one you will do. A sleeping baby chooses to sleep instead of eating. A hungry baby refuses to sleep no matter how many lullabies you sing it.The weeds call you to come pull them, but if you listen to the voice of the Gardener, you will know how to care for the good seeds amidst the weeds. Just as a baby naturally regulates its various needs, you can naturally move between the weeding and watering when you listen to the Gardener. “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:” (Ecclesiasties). You can only know the purpose of the time if you know and listen to the purpose giver.

You can't have everything; you have to choose what you will give up.

When you choose to eat, you are choosing not to sleep. A baby that is filling up on sleep doesn't need to be filled with food. Choosing to give up the things of the flesh is easier when you are filled with the Spirit. You cannot keep your life and keep eternal life; you have to choose one to give up.. When you choose to eat junk food, you are choosing not to eat steak and potatoes. The way you succeed in choosing not to eat junk food is by choosing to eat healthy foods. The way you fill up on eternal life is by giving up your life. You can’t take away life from someone who is full of eternal life. As you give up your life and fill yourself with eternal life, you acquire a life that cannot be taken away from you. 

It's not your challenges that define you, it's how you respond to them. 

The storms don’t define you; they simply show you what you are willing to throw overboard and what you are unwilling to let go of. Storms can help you define what you will give up and what you hold on to. As you exit the storm, you become more of what you held on to and less of what you were willing to let go. When you are willing to throw the life of the flesh away so you can hold on to the life of the spirit, you will become more alive spiritually. When you are alive in the spirit, all the other things in life can be added to you (Matthew 6:33). A baby can transition between sleeping and eating peacefully when it is in a place of spiritual comfort.