As long as I see any thing to be done for God, life is worth having; but O how vain and unworthy it is to live for any lower end!
... David Brainerd's Journal
This is a busy time of year isn’t it? These days before Christmas must have 15 hour days instead of 24 because I never seem to get anything done. In the past couple of weeks I have taken to forgetting things (more so than usual) like appointments, picking things up that I said I would, calling people back I said I would call, and I seem to leave things laying around where I can’t find them when I need them. I am always able to quickly blame it on being busy, and everyone who knows me knows that it is true. But, I have to wonder; busy doing what?
What work am I doing and what work am I leaving out? You see, we can be busy enough to fill a day and never get to the point where we spend the time with God that He was hoping we would. I often wake up in the morning and immediately start thinking of what I should be doing that day. Worrying even gets me moving faster because I start to think I might not get them done if I don’t get going.
What I am forgetting is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his book Life Together; “The first word in the morning belongs to God, and the last word in the evening belongs to God.” When I remember this, my priorities seem to straighten out. When I remember to give God the first and last word, I seem to have more time, I seem to get more done, and what I get done is higher work. I guess I just need to remember that; especially this time of year. If I ever forget, I can simply go to Psalm 46:10 and read: "Be still, and know that I am God.”
This is a busy time of year isn’t it? These days before Christmas must have 15 hour days instead of 24 because I never seem to get anything done. In the past couple of weeks I have taken to forgetting things (more so than usual) like appointments, picking things up that I said I would, calling people back I said I would call, and I seem to leave things laying around where I can’t find them when I need them. I am always able to quickly blame it on being busy, and everyone who knows me knows that it is true. But, I have to wonder; busy doing what?
What work am I doing and what work am I leaving out? You see, we can be busy enough to fill a day and never get to the point where we spend the time with God that He was hoping we would. I often wake up in the morning and immediately start thinking of what I should be doing that day. Worrying even gets me moving faster because I start to think I might not get them done if I don’t get going.
What I am forgetting is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his book Life Together; “The first word in the morning belongs to God, and the last word in the evening belongs to God.” When I remember this, my priorities seem to straighten out. When I remember to give God the first and last word, I seem to have more time, I seem to get more done, and what I get done is higher work. I guess I just need to remember that; especially this time of year. If I ever forget, I can simply go to Psalm 46:10 and read: "Be still, and know that I am God.”
No comments:
Post a Comment