"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;"
I Peter 5:8
Today, I have a quick moment to sit down, so I'm going to give you a short post for now. I don't want to stay away too long, and it is also fulfilling for me to write...I NEED TO WRITE. It slows me down and reduces my stress levels! Don't we all need a little less stress in life presently?
STRESS!
I often use the phrase "I'm stressed!" when I've allowed myself to be swallowed up by busyness or when things in my day cause my brain to feel as if it is in a pinball machine. I usually get smacked right in the face with a good indicator of it when I'm not paying attention to the messages my body sends out over and over again, days on end. I have a tendency to keep going and doing! Let's admit it, there's ALWAYS something clamoring for our attention. Most of the times it's multiple things...thus the popular word multi-tasking. Is that really a such good quality to have?
STRESS
I have also used overwhelmed, burned-out, frustrated, or tired to the point of tears to describe when I've had absolutely all I can take. Life piles up quickly, doesn't it? After all, if we only had to deal with one thing at a time, that might be manageable, huh? Life doesn't happen one-thing-at-a-time though, does it? We usually associate stress in a negative light, but even preparing for something positive and exciting like family gathering or going out for a date night, or vacation can be stressful.
This last week, I have enjoyed having extra people around my house. My dad and grandson are with us for three weeks. I'm doing all the things I can do to make sure they're comfortable, catered to and feel cared for and loved. I'm not a morning person, so I set my alarm to get up so my dad won't be up alone too long and I do my best to prepare foods he loves. My grand on the other hand, isn't a morning person either so he sleeps late, and he only eats certain things. So, I find myself in the kitchen preparing multiple dishes to please everyone. I enjoy it. My dad likes to stay busy so I try to find little "jobs" for him to do while he's here; my rambunctious grand likes my undivided attention and doesn't like to be BORED. Let me reiterate...I ENJOY SPOILING THEM!!! However, if I don't balance spoiling them with taking care of my own needs, I'm soon in no condition or frame of mind to love on them.
Maybe you're not this way, but sometimes I long to go back and live in the "old days" when things appeared to be simpler and slower. I'm smart enough to realize that those days weren't exactly that, for they were uncertain and filled with their own hardships. I believe what we long for when we make that reference is actually the slowing down of time, to not always be in a rush, to not always have something to do or somewhere to go. It seems like there was more chance to breathe way back when. We certainly don't want to go back and discard the modern commodities we enjoy - electricity, plumbing, etc. Sometimes though, I wish we could go back just far enough to use a phone with rotary dial and a ten-foot cord. Being available to anyone, anywhere, 24/7, can become quite stressful. Yet, the world has continued moving in this direction for years - and most of us have followed suite. We have a choice though with a lot of things that capture our attention.
Life. A constant balancing act we must juggle day after day. I think of the verse that tells us to be sober and vigilant, can we really be so when we're so consumed with life and being busy? I've always believed that busyness is the enemy's trap and tactic to stress and distract us from what is truly important in our day.
This ended up being longer than I anticipated, however, if you find yourself feeling frazzled and stressed out please stop and take inventory. Stress is real; it's results are too. It affects us physically, spiritually, mentally, socially, and emotionally. I want to be an intentional and diligent steward and balance my life appropriately. It won't happen overnight, I know, but we can make one good choice at a time.
As we live our lives as unto the Lord, we must be cognizant of the traps we could walk into so easily and naturally. Stop! Look at your life today, join me in trying to stop before we've gone beyond the point of no return. We're of no use to anyone, especially God, when we're overwhelmed and unable to fulfill His purpose for our lives. Won't you join me in waking up each day from this point forward, asking Him to help us live our day intentionally, and pay attention to the messages we are receiving from our bodies? Let's strive to live abundant, peaceful lives filled with the presence of the Lord and guided by His unchanging hand and the body He created us to walk around this world in.
Be blessed, my friend. Slow down and take a deep breathe of intentionality. Then continue walking.
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