When Things Seem So Crazy....

You know, our children can really teach us so much.  At times we miss the little lessons in life that they so innocently bring to us.  The day Joshua told me he wished he had 5 arms, I asked him, "Joshua, what on earth would you do with 5 arms?"‚ He said, "Well, duh, mom, I would pick 5 different things up at one time!"

It reminds me of myself, always wishing I could do more, wanting more time, more hours in the day, more energy.  If only I could be more than one person, I could get so much done!  You know, scripture reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:23 that while things may look good, they are not always beneficial. 

Although Joshua may want 5 arms, it may not be as great as he had first imagined!  Five arms requires more balance, more room to sit or sleep.  Buying shirts with 5 sleeves would be a challenge and his mom sure cannot sew!  He would definitely draw some unwanted attention to himself, as most people do not have 5 arms.  Quite frankly, 5 arms would be pretty heavy.  While it would be awesome to be able to wrestle 5 of his wrestling action figures at the same time or beam his sister with 5 snowballs at once, I think he might grow a bit tired of the problems his 5 arms might cause and the struggle required to carry them all!  (It is funny to imagine.)

Like Joshua, what I am desiring more of may not be good for me.  Having more hours of the day and stretching myself to the point of exhaustion or wanting to be more than one person to take care of everything is not exactly how God intended my life to be.  Again, I could get a whole lot more work done, but we weren't created to work like that.  We weren't created to go without rest.  Especially, rest in the Lord.  Rest in the Lord, you say?  I don't have time for that.  I have a job, bills, children, my spouse, a ministry, maybe school work, or whatever you are struggling to fit into 24 hours.  Believe me, I understand!  But, I feel God wants us to desire more of one thing....and one thing alone.  He is a jealous God and He wants us to want more of Him.

God has been dealing with me to take more time out for Him.  While I know I have so much to do, I am finding that it is much easier to accomplish it when I recharge by spending time reading the Bible, spending more time in prayer, even fellowshipping with other Christians and discussing the great things God is doing in my life.  Actually, I have learned to really ask God for His help in getting done what He wants me to.  Honestly, sometimes I do more than He really wanted me to.  That's the last thing I intended to do....be out of the will of God by taking on responsibilities that He never intended for me to take. 

So, today, I write this first, to show you that you are not alone.  We all push ourselves a bit too much.  Many of us have loads we don't think we can carry.  But, God did not intend for you to do it alone.  In fact, I believe he didn't intend us to carry much of what we do.  He wants us to give it to Him, rely on Him, and trust that He has it all under control.  Remember the Bible tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden in light.  He will carry it for us.  Second, I want to encourage you and myself to spend more time with Him.  This is something He wants us to desire more of.....HIM.  There's nothing than living your life in God's presence.  It's the best place to rest.

Praying you find rest in Him,

Mrs. Dana