(Photo by Jimi Ann)"Busyness is the enemy of spirituality."
Do you fight the enemy of busy-ness like I do? Do you often lose the battle like I do?
This weekend we were around people 24/7, with people in and out of the house all weekend, a birthday dinner for my 9-year-old boy, my mother staying overnight, and other unexpected company. And to top it all off, Michael got a brand new very-meowy, scratchy, hyper, climby little kitty for his birthday. He named her Sandra. Sandra is a spaz. Very cute, but a spaz nonetheless.
(Michael with Sandra, the new kitty)Sunday was just as busy. Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, right? God rested. So I'm sure if He did, we need to as well. But, it doesn't always work out that way. There are still hungry people to feed, church houses to set up and clean, dishes to wash. And we went to the hospital to visit a sick neighbor. All good and needful things.
We got home from church and visiting and it was almost suppertime already. Ughhh..... Just as I plopped down to rest and put a cold compress on my burning eyes, the phone rang. An invitation to a friend's home for popcorn, snacks, and fellowship. I REALLY wanted to go -- I love visiting this family, and my children love playing with their children, and my husband loves visiting with her husband. But I had to just say no. I know my limits. When I feel like an old wet dish rag, I just need a little solitude and rest. Ever feel that way?
(Photo by Jimi Ann)
Jesus went away to be with the Father. He had to go away from people. But the people even followed Him! Not just a few people, but multitudes.
So my husband and the children cheerfully went without me, and everyone was happy.
I'm learning that it's okay to say no. Especially when there's something else we need to say yes to. But it's all about balance. There's a time for everything under the sun. A time to be busy, and a time to not be busy.
Sometimes we need to stop running. Seems everyone's a sprinter these days. And lots of marathon runners. That was me this past week. Don't get me wrong, sometimes runners are needed to fulfill the many needs in the world. All the more reason that we need to be rested and ready for those times. I remember going to a Jackson Browne concert in the 70's as he sang about Running on Empty (Click it to hear). I want to run on a full tank, don't you? Are you running on empty?
(Photo of our dirty van by Jimi Ann)Psalm 3 says, "Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still." Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, "I communed with mine own heart...had gotten more wisdom...yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge."
This means we need times of stillness to gain perspective, knowledge, wisdom, and just plain rest for our tired and weary selves. I'm a better wife and mom when I take time with God to be centered.
(Me)Today is Monday. I rested well lastnight. New day. New week. New perspective. Now I'll stretch real big, take a deep breath, and go seize the day, remembering to stop here and there and commune with my heart. And be aware of how God is trying to lead me today.
This is our school verse, which we have hanging in our school room to remind us to let God lead us throughout our day:
(Needlepoint by our Dear Aunt Lindy)
I want to hear how you combat too much busyness. Do you struggle with the enemy called busyness? Please leave a comment about your day!
5 comments:
I am so grateful for your post today. Busy-ness is my number 1 enemy! I've been trying to set aside 24 hours from sundown on Saturday evening to sundown on Sunday evening for rest and worship. However, yesterday was anything but restful. At 10 p.m. I finally sat down to rest. Obviously, I am a work-in-progress on this but it is definitely something I am working on!
Thanks for the reminder of how much we need times of rest in our busy lives.
~H
You're welcome, Heidi! What a great idea to rest from sundown to sundown. That's a goal I think I'll try to work toward. This coming weekend seems like a good one to start on!
I have to remind myself during thes busy phases... "this too shall pass" and try to keep my focus and be grounded in what IS still priority ... keeping my heart right with my children & husband & Lord... even if that means we have to have sandwiches for supper or cereal again for lunch :o) AND as hard asit is for me to not keep working after the children are in bed, not compromising on the sleep i really need to be better and accomplish the projects the following day !
May the busyness be blessed and SHORT :) Heather C.
This is a hard thing for me as well. Balance is not something that comes easily for me. I've been married for a little over a year and I'm still trying to figure out how to get enough rest and enough things done -- especially when it comes to getting the housework done around my 40+ hours a week job.
Ah,yes. I remember when I was newly married and working 40+ hours at a stressful job. It's not easy. Sometimes it's worth it to hire a little outside help for a season if you can. Also, I had to learn how to let go of some of my idealism and set different standards. I hear you! It took a good 2 years to get used to married life for me.
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