Busy Days

 What do you do to keep busy? Do you feel, like I do, that you must do something productive every day? I realize that can be taken to extremes, as you can feel you must be busy every minute of every day. I personally struggle with this at times, realizing that what is busy for one person may be way too busy for another… so a happy medium can be a goal.

I really struggled with this when we were raising our children, as I was a working mom, often with full responsibility for them (my husband worked out of town a lot). I even bought a book “When I Relax I Feel Guilty”, by Tim Hansel, hoping to find some nuggets in there to help me get over the seemingly constant need to stay busy/productive. There was so much to do! Taking time for myself seemed too extravagant. Would you believe that I kept the book all these years and never took the time to read it?

I guess the book for me was a symbol that I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Today I got it out and read that the Bible teaches us to “Come to me all you who labor (are weary and overburdened) and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28-30). It reminded me that God rested on the seventh day after creating this wonderous world for us. It also reminded me to look at nature and all of God’s creation with fresh new eyes, taking time to appreciate all of God’s wonders--being out in nature can be calming. It said:

“Learning to See

Go outside and look around

See what you can see.

If you are unable to see anything beautiful,

Anything that brings you peace,

A deep sense of joy and God’s presence,

Anything that delights you

With the magic of color and aliveness…

If you are not reminded that today is special

A unique, once-in-a-lifetime gift from the Creator…

Then you need to spend more time outside,

And read this book” (re-set your priorities).

It is never too late to re-set my priorities and to not be so hard on myself. Yes, I can still give to others (a necessary part of life), but I need to remember to take time to relax and do what the Lord requires of me, “To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8).

Sharon Cardwell

Photo by Tom Byrom on Unsplash