Busy! Busy! Busy!

How do we get so busy? Well, for most of us it is not taking care of the task at hand. We would rather be on MySpace or Facebook or anything else as opposed to the responsibility before us. We put it off and the stack of "to do's" just gets deeper.

We get 24 hours in each day. We need 6-8 to recharge from one day and rest up for the next. We spend another 8 or more at work. We spend an hour or more eating each day and an hour or more getting ready for work. That brings us up to at least 18 hours. We haven't included commute times, times spent in social or religious activities, times spent doing homework with you children, times spent playing with them in the yard, times spent doing household chores like washing and putting away the dishes. . . We haven't mowed the lawn, raked the leaves, vacuumed the carpets, scrubbed the toilets, shopped for groceries and other household needs. How could we get it all done? Is there a way out?

We do indeed need to learn to slow down. The example we are setting means our kids will quite possibly be just as hurried and frustrated with life as we are. We make rude gestures to the driver next to us who cut us off in traffic because that person is stressed for time as well. In the process, both of us are more frustrated than we were before.

God knows we need rest. He worked hard throughout the history of creation, but in the end, the thing that he did best was set the example for us by creating rest. God did not need rest for His own person. I mean, really, He is omnipotent. No, He made rest for us because He knew we needed it.

God asks us to consider the lilies (Matthew 6:28), how they don't stress about their existence and yet are so beautiful and well cared for. Well, I'm not much of a flower person. Oh, I love to look at them, but they need far too much tending for my tastes. Don't get me wrong. I am so glad that God tends to them for my enjoyment, but for all the outdoor things I love to do, gardening is not one of them.

So, I want to paraphrase this section of Scripture. Consider your dog. See how chilled he is. He neither sows or reaps. He enjoys his food! He spends his time off the leash with enthusiasm. He knows how to love and appreciate life. He knows how to love unconditionally. When he gets tired, he rests. When he needs a nap, he takes one. He knows the value of lying on his back on the grass in the warm sun and having a really good wiggle. Oh, that we could have the appreciation of life our pets do! Oh, that we could love every moment of life instead of trudge on through, just waiting for the end!

Pastor Craig