Frazzled Nest

Some days I long for a simpler life. I long for more time to relax and sip a cup of steaming tea, to watch the birds outside my window, to take a long walk and soak up the beauty of God's amazing creation. I long for more time to "be still and know Him."

The morning has been filled with busyness again; laundry to wash, floors in desperate need of sweeping, trash to be taken out, thoughts of what to make for lunch and dinner, bills to pay, bank statements to balance, emails piling up that have gone unanswered for over a week, my usual work-at-home medical transcription job, among other things on my "to do" list that seems to grow longer rather than shrink. I glance at the clock, realize it's nearly noon, and wonder what I have accomplished this morning. Thoughts of things left undone cause me to ponder the idea of curling up on the couch for a quick power nap. I'm not certain whether it's my age or health issues that tend to slow me down, or could it be that I have taken on too many things? Have I caught the "too-much-on-my-plate" syndrome that many seem to be afflicted with in today's world?

How did life become so crazy and stress filled? Is it because we have too many things going on and too much stuff that we have to take care of? I thought when the children were grown life would be easier and I would have time to do all the things I had to put on hold during the baby and toddler years. Nobody prepared me for this new season of life. A season that I'm finding to be full and busy with new things. I can't quite put a finger on it. It's not as demanding and physically tiring as the baby and toddler years were. It's as though other things arrived, taking up the space that was once filled with feeding times and diaper changes. Time seems to go faster now and I get less accomplished.

We hear much in the news about terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. I often wonder if busyness is satans weapon of mass destruction against Christians today. If we are so consumed by things and activities, we will have less time to pray, less time to read scripture, less time to be still and know our Heavenly Father.

New Beginnings

Yesterday we kicked off a new session of our online First Place group. This ministry has blessed my socks off for the past 6 years. I've enjoyed leading various online First Place groups, and as a result I've been blessed with new friends from all over the world. Each session runs for 3 months and we complete a Bible study together during that time. First Place is not a diet, but a program that helps us make healthy lifestyle changes. Our new study is called Renewing Hope and looks great. I can't wait to dig into it further!

I love the title of the new study, because many of us have lost hope and we need to renew our hope. Our hope is in the Lord! I know many Christians who are struggling with issues and feeling discouraged. We often lose hope because our sights are fixed on the wrong things or people. I love the following quote from Beth Moore's study Stepping Up.

"If I have low expectations, skewed feelings, and impaired spiritual hearing, my eyes are either looking in at myself or out at people and circumstances. God wants our eyes fixed upward like someone down on her knees at His feet. We tend to focus on the most obvious. God wants to equip us with a vision that sees higher, deeper, and broader than our physical realities."

I've been memorizing Psalm 62:5 this week. I've been feeling frazzled and overwhelmed lately and seem to be bombarded with excessive busyness and things I need to do. This small and simple scripture has been blessing my heart.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
My hope comes from Him.
Psalm 62:5

Joni