Do I need to ask permission to use that phrase or picture...hmmm?okay so we are back and man oh man am I feeling overwhelmed. As I emptied the trash and recycling today (our turn in the condo rotation...woo hoo) I thought, "If I can just get to March, I'll be okay." I've been making lists and checking them off all day. Then I get so overwhelmed that I make more lists to remember the first lists.
What a rotten way to live, though, huh!?! Not living in the moment but just looking for a "break" in life. We are instructed in the Bible to "...not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)" I've been thinking a lot about how I keep adding more things to my plate. I read recently that God is not impressed with our busyness.
Lindsay Edmonds quoted Dorothy Patterson on her blog:
"Busyness is not godliness. God is not impressed with your production capacity as much as He is concerned that the product of your home--your own children--be chiseled and molded and perfected to the best of your ability. You may tire of this mundane task, but the Lord admonishes you not to grow weary and promises to supply the energy and strength as needed in this all-important task. God's strength is for what He plans for you to do--not stamina for everything you might want to do!"
Even though I am not Catholic, I still think the idea of Lent is very important. I usually give up things that I like to eat or do on a daily basis. Until a few hours ago, I was planning on giving up a variety of sweets and caffeine. How much more of a sacrifice it would be to actually just "rest".
Rest is a sacrifice, you ask? Well, it would be for me because I am a "doer" and I like to be busy and appear busy--for a variety of reasons and most of those reasons are selfish and vain...the busier I am the more important, right? WRONG.
So this season of Lent, I will strive to rest in God and focus on my relationship with Him and then on my relationship with my family. I will give up my need to be busy all the time and relax and just invest in my God, my husband, and my daughter.
Phew. I really was just going to update on the end of our vacation and it turned into quite the deep post. Sorry everyone and thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts...
What a rotten way to live, though, huh!?! Not living in the moment but just looking for a "break" in life. We are instructed in the Bible to "...not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)" I've been thinking a lot about how I keep adding more things to my plate. I read recently that God is not impressed with our busyness.
Lindsay Edmonds quoted Dorothy Patterson on her blog:
"Busyness is not godliness. God is not impressed with your production capacity as much as He is concerned that the product of your home--your own children--be chiseled and molded and perfected to the best of your ability. You may tire of this mundane task, but the Lord admonishes you not to grow weary and promises to supply the energy and strength as needed in this all-important task. God's strength is for what He plans for you to do--not stamina for everything you might want to do!"
Even though I am not Catholic, I still think the idea of Lent is very important. I usually give up things that I like to eat or do on a daily basis. Until a few hours ago, I was planning on giving up a variety of sweets and caffeine. How much more of a sacrifice it would be to actually just "rest".
Rest is a sacrifice, you ask? Well, it would be for me because I am a "doer" and I like to be busy and appear busy--for a variety of reasons and most of those reasons are selfish and vain...the busier I am the more important, right? WRONG.
So this season of Lent, I will strive to rest in God and focus on my relationship with Him and then on my relationship with my family. I will give up my need to be busy all the time and relax and just invest in my God, my husband, and my daughter.
Phew. I really was just going to update on the end of our vacation and it turned into quite the deep post. Sorry everyone and thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts...
2 people think...:
this is the best idea for observing lent that i've ever heard of. and i was raised Catholic. :D
it's far too common to prioritize busyness much too highly, and allow it to overwhelm the more quiet things in life. relationships are of utmost importance but they get neglected far too easily in the pursuit of Accomplishment. (and yes, from a religious pov, accomplishment becomes a god for some. it's not a healthy state of mind, regardless.)
finding balance is really difficult, and takes a level of consideration that many people don't really consider. the mindset of "giving up" being so unnecessarily busy is great. it's a wonderfully simple way of framing the true focus of activities that we (erroneously) hold as so important.
I think this is a great idea!
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