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 It’s the weekend! Woohoo! Over the past few weeks I’ve been busier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Sorry, all you cat lovers. What is it about the month of May? I find this month particularly stressful as many of our ordinary activities culminate and crescendo in a finale worthy of the White House. Bible study ends next week. I must prepare for our end-of-the-year brunch. Brunch is not only a time to remember our experiences with God but an elaborate decorating contest to prove no center piece can be too large or ostentatious. ---I am centerpiece challenged! Send me your suggestions. Every May, my daughter is included in a ton of extra curricular activities. A day trip to Disney Land, birthday parties, visits to museums, field trips, and band concerts. My daughter plays the flute. From my tour around the blogosphere earlier this week, it is obvious I am not alone. Post after post I empathized and sympathized with a number of you who are stressed out, weary, drained, fatigued and just plain wacky from the pace of it all. Perhaps it is just me who is wacky (likely). So how do you know when it is time to stop, rest and spend time alone with our Savior. Some of my church friends got together and we comprised our own Top 10 list. The Top 10 reasons you know it’s time for a rest and recharge: (These are real experiences) 10. You find yourself arguing with your three-year-old and she’s winning the conversation. 9. You start cutting the person’s food next to you and you realize it’s not one of your children. 8. Going to the grocery store is the highlight of your week. 7. All you can grow, is found on the leftovers in the refrigerator. 6. You throw on a cap to avoid getting your roots done. 5. The Ice Cream truck driver knows your order but not your children’s. 4. Your date with your husband ends up at Wal-Mart, and you’re both excited about it. 3. You’re hourly telling your kids, “Mommy needs a time out!” 2. The manager at Sees Candies says, “Oh, hi, you again, the usual two pounds?” And, the number One Reason you know it’s time for a rest and a recharge: You begin calling your hot flashes, “mini tropical vacations.” Laughter and time alone with my Savior, is just the thing. With my Lord’s help, a hot Starbucks, and meaningful time alone with my bible and prayer journal, I will triumph. I will conquer the centerpiece, finish errand running, help with the birthday parties, and plan the camping trip. God is good! All the time! Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Amen, Lord Jesus, Amen!  Labels: busyness, Humor, Lynn's Articles Leave a comment... 13 Comments As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. "Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. (Matthew 14:15-20 NIV) ~~~~~~~ As evening approached, I came to Jesus and said, "I don't remotely have enough time to get everything done this week. It's getting late. Please tell me which commitments to let go of! I know you brought these people and ministries into my life as a result of prayer, but it's obvious that I can't handle all of this. Can't someone else do it?" Jesus replied, "The responsibilities I have ordained for you do not need to go away. You fulfill them." "I have here only five weekdays and two weekend days," I answered. Labels: busyness, Cyndi's Articles, time management Leave a comment... 14 Comments Links to this post Today, my state, Indiana, joins the rest of you in scoring some extra daylight. For reasons unclear to 99% of us Hoosiers, we have stubbornly bucked Daylight Saving Time until this year. As a result, we've never been sure exactly what time it is within Indiana because we've been enjoying three time zones! Regardless, if you want to honk off a Hoosier, especially a farmer, ask him how he feels about DST. And then take a few steps back. Personally, I like the idea of springing forward. the Christian life emphasizes forward momentum, "forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead," as in Philippians 3:13, and finishing the race, as in 2 Timothy 4:7. We never want to stagnate, and daily we search hopefully for signs that we are becoming more and more like Christ. Sometimes, though, instead of a healthy forward momentum, I feel I'm living in three time zones. That is, I fill my days with lists of tasks, responsibilities and service, and at the end of the day, I realize how little time I've engaged the Lord. Do I really believe that God is more concerned about who I am than what I do? For instance, I'm part of a "Read the Bible in a Year" campaign. I'm actually ahead of schedule, but that's because I've been galloping through Numbers like Seabiscuit out of the gate. Instead of speed reading, I should be researching why God included so many details and figures. I should slow down to ask, "Lord, what do You want to say to me today through Numbers?" But then, I'd have to actually slow down to listen. In an effort to nurture relationships, I have lists of names to call or email, but sometimes, I find myself clock-watching after just a few minutes. Maybe I should just ask the Holy Spirit, "Show me who needs attention and love today." Once again, I'd have to stop and listen. And then there are the yes/no demands on my time: the caller asking if I can help with a special school project; the bulk mailing at work that didn't get completed--should I work an extra hour? My daughter is asking if I can help her bake a new dessert; the clean laundry wrinkling in the basket even as I write this is pestering me--and what about tonight's dinner, my newspaper column, my little dog? Do you feel guilty if you're not "doing," not constantly springing forward toward the next task? I'll bet you know the scriptures as well as I do about being still and knowing He is God, about His yoke being easy and His burden light, and about how Jesus withdrew from crowds to pray. But it's hard to break the hold of what some have called "the tyranny of the oughts and shoulds," both internal and external. We so want to get this life "right." If you are a compulsive "do-er," consider handing over your plans today to the Father by focusing on the two great commandments of Luke 10:27, loving God with your entire being and loving your neighbor as yourself. This doesn't mean God won't ask anything of you; He says if you love Him, you'll obey His commands, which I also interpret to include those commands he speaks to you personally about your day. However, you don't have to busy in a God-pleasing activity to please God. You please him by treating Him as the highest significant other in your life. Instead of making sure we're hitting the details of 20 nonessential tasks per day and planning tomorrow's superfluous 20, maybe we should focus on what God gives us for that day, or that hour, and do them with passion and excellence. And that may mean devoting an entire evening to helping your 5th grader create a solar system model--a great opportunity for intimate sharing between you, your child, and the One who molded the spheres and released them spinning. You can't top that for meaningful multi-tasking!  Labels: busyness, Linda's Articles, Obedience, self-worth, time management Leave a comment... 14 Comments Links to this post
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