Are You Busy?

Rush, rush, rush. Have I remembered everything? I start going through the list in my head as I glance at my watch for the time. Oh, I have not long, so again I ask myself, do I have everything? I send up a prayer to ask for assistance for the day as I grab the bags ready to walk out the door. I start going through my mind the jobs for the day. Working it out in my head as if I had a map, how can I fit it all in?  So, my thoughts went progressively through the tasks. I can go here, backtrack and then go there, then do a U-turn and head across town……

Ever been there?

My phone rings and I am reminded to not forget to do….. As I get off the phone it rings again. “Sorry, could you do this extra chore for me today…..” said the voice. I looked at my list, “I’ll try and fit it in.”

Have you ever had such a tight schedule that it was timed to the last minute? Such pressure, and sometimes day after day, unrelentless. Then on top of that there often are tasks that you don’t feel capable of doing, but it is on the list. Everyone (whoever is everyone) is depending upon you. Definitely another prayer sent heavenward for those tasks!

Do you sometimes feel like a pressure cooker that will ‘go off’ at some point, if you are not careful?

At the end of the busy day, I was done. I sat in a chair so tired. My brain was numb, and my feet were throbbing. (I must remember next time to bring a change of shoes.) I then felt prompted to sit longer and converse with my God, about the day and get refreshed by being with Him.

Jesus felt like this sometimes. The demand of the Ministry, of people on his time. There are many circumstances when he was tired at the end of the day, in the middle of the day and went away to pray, to get respite. There is a place for solitude in all of our lives. Solitude can benefit us greatly if we use that time to sort through with the Father whatever is on our minds and in our hearts.

Jesus encouraged his disciples to go away for a time to rest. They had worked hard.

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³² And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.

Mark 6:30-32 NRSV

And in Luke 5:16

¹⁶ But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.

So, the question is do you take time to get respite? Not just on holidays but in the times at the end of a busy week, a busy day?

Do you go and pray to get renewed and restored by the Living God? To get re-energized by  Jesus and re-invigorated by The Holy Spirit?

Jesus tells us, “Peace be with you. Peace I leave with you.” But if we have not been with Him, how can He give us and leave us with His Peace?

So, I encourage you to spend time with Him, especially on those really busy days.

A famous Pastor once was asked how do you reach so many people for Christ? The reply came back with, “How many hours do you pray and sit with the Lord?”

So spend the time with Him – it is you and everyone else who benefits!

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

At the end of a busy day or week do you spend time with the Lord?

Do you ask God to be with you while you carry out your ‘list’ of things to do?

How can you increase the time you spend with Him so that He can bless you with His peace?