Who isn't "busy" these days? There are constant meetings at work, kids shuffling from practice to practice, homework to be finished, supper to picked-up through the drive-thru, forgotten laundry (until a certain pair of jeans are needed), a dog left outside in the rain overnight because Mom was exhausted and fell asleep before letting him back in the house....add in your own busy-ness to this paragraph.
Gone are the days where we'd sit on the front porch, enjoying the cool of the evening, catching fireflies, watching the kids swinging on the swingset and just taking a "breather" to wind down from a busy day. Today we are exhausted from the day and fall into bed, hoping to get a few hours reprieve before we start it all over again the next morning.
This morning, as I tried to squeeze in a bit of God time, I thought about this. I try my best every morning to sit down with my coffee, read a little bit of my Bible (and yes, some days, it's truly just a little bit!), and talk to God about the day ahead. This morning, as I'm rushing about (I still have dishes soaking in the sink that are waiting on my as I type - and a load of laundry that needs to be put in the dryer, hey, but the dog is inside out of the rain, so I'm at least on top of one thing), I made myself sit down (with my coffee) and spent time with God. Not just, "hey God, what's up? Here's my list of things I need from you today....." I could actually see him patiently waiting on me to come to Him. I picture him, sitting there, legs crossed, smiling, patiently waiting (as he sees me walk past the dishes, decide to put more in the water to soak, turn down the tv, place coffee cup in hand, walk toward the couch, see a pair of socks that missed the washer, detour to the laundry room, see towels that I folded and really need to be put in the bathroom, head toward the bathroom, coffee still in hand but now is cold, stop by the coffee pot and re-heat the coffee, pass by the counter and see the peanut butter spot, go back to the sink to get the rag to wipe it up before I forget.......do you see what I'm getting at? The entire time, God is smiling at me and saying, "I'm waiting....."
But God shouldn't have to wait His turn, right? Put Him first and all other things will fall into place. I make my way to the couch (with the warmed up coffee), sit down, take a deep breath and begin talking to Him (in my head, not out loud, the dog would have begin looking at me strangely). I told God about all the busy-ness in my life; working 2 jobs, meeting deadlines, the messy house that's beginning to overwhelm me, kids homework that is out of control (what do they actually work on at school?), this blog that I want to write on everyday, but not one extra moment to squeeze in to do it, and let's not even talk about time for exercise!!! But instead of "God, this is my to-do list for you today. Can you check it off as you go, that way I know You've covered it and I don't have to worry about it anymore...." Don't we all do that? I want to hang my head in shame. Lord God, I am SO sorry. In my busy-ness of life, you've become just one more thing to check off my list of things to do.
I don't want it to be that way. I WANT to spend time with God. He WANTS to spend time with me and longs for me to reach out to him. In talking with him this morning, (I think it was only about 7 minutes 32 seconds), but that was a powerful few minutes. I asked God what he wanted me to do for Him today, and for Him show me how, even during the busy-ness of life. That's when I realized I can talk to him all day long! Thank you God that my children are happy and healthy and can be in sports and band, and that I have a dependable car that gets us to and fro. Thank you God that I have food to eat that dirties all these dishes in the sink. Thank you God that I have electricity and running water so that I can wash the clothes that you have provided for us. The list goes on and on!
When you are feeling too busy, too overwhelmed, come to His shelter and remember the words of David, "I pour out my complaints before him and tell him my troubles. For I am overwhelmed, and you alone know the way I should turn . . . Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, 'You are my place of refuge, 'You are all I really want in life." Psalm 142: 2 - 5
During the busy-ness of our day today, ask God to give us strength not to just get through the day, but also remember to praise Him and talk to Him all day long and thank Him for another day He's given us, to let His light shine through us, even through all the crazy, busy-ness of life!
