Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!" Haggai 1:5 NKJV

Consider your ways.

Have you done that lately?

How many of us really take time to stop and consider how and why we do certain things? We fall into habits and don't necessarily know why we keep doing it.

It's like the story Dave Ramsey tells of a family cutting the ends off a ham before they bake it. They finally asked an older relative and she said, "I'm not sure why you do it, but  I did it so it would fit in my pan." The family had passed on a tradition because it was "always done that way" without giving thought to why.

What is going on in your life that would evidence the same thing? Do you continue to resent something that happened in the past that you cannot change? Do you continue to fear what might be coming in the future? Are you nervous about getting more organized at home because you don't think it will really stay that way?

It's important to prayerfully consider why we get hung up on certain things. We should, from time to time, examine our hearts and ask, for example, why it is so important that our home look a certain way. We all have stumbling blocks that can trip us up. We may be trying to impress someone, or make up for some failure in the past. We may be trying to earn God's approval. We may be trying to protect our emotions by hanging on to lots of things from the past, fearful we may otherwise forget those who have passed on.

Take some time this week to ask God if there are emotional hurdles that are keeping you from becoming all He wants you to be. Ask Him for help in your home...to overcome obstacles that keep you from creating an inviting, God-honoring, peaceful home. He is willing to help you...just let Him!