I was reading an article the other day about a new machine that actually scans your body and tells you what size clothing you would wear at many participating retailers, such as Old Navy, Eddie Bauer, and Talbots. It seems (as we all probably know) that the clothing industry has many issues when it comes to maintaining a standard of sizing.
Well, as I read, I began thinking of just how complex life has become. In fact, within this article, I read something that made me mourn the loss of a simpler time. An Eddie Bauer store manager was stating how accurate this machine was, and how "...it’s really good for the customer who’s time-starved, which we all are."
How did we get to this place? How is it that technology–advances that were supposed to make things run more efficiently–have made our lives so stressful and nearly impossible to execute every task on our to-do lists?
I love to watch movies set in the "prairie days." Watching a horse-drawn wagon, with women in hand-made dresses and little girls in their bonnets, men with leather work boots that actually had "boot straps," and decent, sturdy hats that doubled as an umbrella when the rains came–leaves me with a sense of longing for a simpler time.
Of course, it is that time again, when I have my mini-greenhouse set up in my dining room, filled with my little seedlings, who are all striving to grow and mature. And the best part about it is that it takes time for these things to happen; as it should be. I am not the person who is just brimming with patience, believe me, but I recognize that some things need to take time.
We can't expect to mature overnight, just as my seedlings can't grow into a fully-grown and producing vegetable plant in a day. In our spiritual lives, it is the same way. We cannot expect to grow in a few hours, after hearing a couple of good sermons, or feeling a warm and tingly moment in the Holy Spirit. This takes time, and I think that God has meant for it to be that way.
Louie Giglio once said, "in God's economy, waiting is a very vital part of the process." I couldn't agree more. I believe this is a lesson for all of us to learn, and maybe, just maybe, we will take a good inventory of our lives and scale back on the "things" that suck our time away. In everything we do, we do it for the glory of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
So if you find that you have just too many commitments, I encourage you to scale back a bit, and remember that you only have to do what God has called you to do.
Another trap many Christians fall into is that of "doing for the Kingdom." Many people take on too many projects in the name of ministry. And while this in and of itself is not bad–believe me, we ALL need to serve–sometimes we can get swept up in the "doing" instead of the "abiding." God will not love us more if we serve on one more committee. He will not love us less if we step back from leading that small group.
His goal for us is to abide in Him, grow in relationship, and from the overflow of the love He pours into us while we are spending that amazing time with our Father, to serve. It all comes from Him, not us. Serving in our own strength is just as effective as working for our salvation. It cannot be done.
So take some time, evaluate what it is in your life that is sucking away at your sanity, and do a little spring cleaning. Simplify. De-clutter. Fall back in love with the One who first loved you, while you were still a sinner. Have a peaceful morning with a cup of coffee or tea, and open up that Bible. Read; let Him pour His love into you.
Peace and love to you all.
