Too busy?

Life sometimes gets away from us, especially during the Christmas season. Some of us - especially those in the retail world - find the demand to work extra hours increasingly difficult to turn away. Then there's shopping to be done, parties to be attended, and snow to be shovelled on random days, setting us into a frenzied panic as we try to meet all of our obligations. So when a casual aquaintance asks to spend time with us in December we struggle to make time for them and often fail to find a feasible rendez-vous.

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Have you ever found yourself in this situation and given your friend a detailed laundry list, explaining all the items you have stuffed into your schedule over the next three weeks to account for your inability to accomodate time with them? Friends, forgive me for I recognize I too am guilty of doing exactly this. It wasn't until it happened to me when I was struck by how this impacts the listener. Because when you do this you are in effect saying, "I've booked these 30 other things into my schedule and they take priority over you at the moment". WOW! Pretty harsh when you look at it this way.

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And now I'm going to take it a step further: How many times have we said this exact same thing to God? "God, I know you're the one who's given me my life and all the time that I have; you're the creator of time! But work, parties, gifts....these are all more important than you right now. So forgive me for skipping devotions/prayer/church this week; I just can't make the time for you right now". OUCH!

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Moses knew the value of time management and wrote about it in Psalm 90:10-12: Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away....Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

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Moses reminds us that our days on this earth are numbered; when we get to the end we won't regret a missed paycheck, but we will regret a lost friend. How much more will we regret if we lose our relationship with Christ! I implore you, the next time a friend wants a few moments of your time that you can't seem to spare, don't give them your laundry list of chores and engagements; cancel something in the next 3 weeks and make a commitment. And do the same for Christ; He gave His son for you; surely you can find a few moments each day for Him!

Staying afloat

Growing up I was blessed to have an awesome 8' deep octagon shaped pool in my backyard. I spent countless summer hours with my brothers having canon-ball contests and splashing around in its depths. However that first summer I did not know how to swim! Someone had bought for me this Styrofoam floater devise to help me learn. In the shape of a tadpole it was meant to be strapped to your back and would keep you afloat while you learn the basic operations of how to maneuver your arms and kick your legs. However, I didn't like to use it in the way it was intended. You see, it scared me to be forced into such a horizontal position, my face so close to the water. So instead I would forgo the straps, cling to it on my belly and simply float around the pool.
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My dad didn't go into the pool often; he claimed that he had a "bone in his leg" and that the "water was too wet" for him. But on one occasion he was there and saw me misusing my little floating tadpole. Against my complaints he strapped it to my back and watched me flail about, fighting to keep my head up and my body vertical. I recall him grabbing hold of my arms, pressing them to my sides and saying "just take a deep breath and KICK!!!" I did as he asked (there was no arguing with dad) and found myself sailing across the pool in record time, my little legs acting as efficient little propellers. Thrilled with the results and anxious to improve them I soon was scooping my arms AND kicking my legs, mimicking the front crawl motion that I'd so often seen my brothers do. In the safety of the tadpole's harness I was swimming, and I was swimming FAST!

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The past couple of days I've been feeling completely overwhelmed...by school, by work, by my sinuses, by life in general. I felt like there was so much on my plate I couldn't possibly stay afloat through it all. I couldn't figure out how I was going to do all that I needed to do. But I came to a sudden realization that I had absolutely no need to worry and was reminded of what is written in Isaiah 40:28-31:

The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
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As long as we hope in the Lord, we need not worry about staying afloat. He's like my Styrofoam tadpole and will keep us afloat while we go about doing what we need to do. Putting your full trust in God is scary at first; He may put you in directions you weren't expecting; He may take you out of your comfort zone; your face just might get a little wet. But when you read these verses you know that it's worth taking the risk. And unlike my tadpole, God is not going to chip away and fall apart after a few years of use! He is an everlasting God who will not grow tired and weary. That means He won't grow tired and weary keeping me afloat....I just need to take a deep breath and KICK!

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You are my shield, my strength, my portion, deliverer, my shelter, strong tower, my ever present help in time of need! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McItEpwJofM&feature=fvst - listen and be blessed!