Have you ever woke up in the morning, already scrolling through your to-do list before your eyes ever open? How often does your day turn into a blur flying from one task to the next? And how many days have you tiredly crawled to your bed, pulling the covers up in exhaustion, wondering to yourself, Where did my day just go?
I am completely guilty. I have always been one to make to-do lists, or even put "make a to-do list" on my list of things to do! I stress out way too easily, which you only need to ask Kyle for proof, turns me into an absolutely crazy person. I've always been like this since I can remember, and it's even evident in my life today.
Now I know you're asking yourself,
Andrea, you live in Paradise with no job except to keep a clean apartment, stocked kitchen, and a happy hubby. How can you of all people be stressed? Trust me, I know. I ask myself that a million times a day. But I can make the biggest deal out of the smallest things. And, might I add, being a "housewife" is a job, and not always an easy one. I know some of you may picture me eating bon bons on the couch, watching my "stories" all day. Well, I may have days like that, but they don't happen often. But I do have to agree, I'm down here in Dominica on - what Kyle likes to remind me of often - vacation, or my extended honeymoon. And I'm "hurrying" it all away.
I wanted to share this on the blog because I think it's something God has been continuously teaching me, and something I hope others can relate to. God has once again pointed it out to me, so I thought I better do something about it this time around.
First, I got a devotional emailed to me from Proverbs 31 Ministries (if you're looking for a quick daily devotional or something to hold you accountable to having quiet times, I would highly recommend signing up for them at
http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/). I've posted the entire devotional, titled
An Unhurried Life by Glynis Whitwer, at the end of this post. With that simple email, I felt God challenging my heart and convicting my hurried way of life.
Slow Down. It's a pretty easy concept to think about and hope for, but for me, to put it into action is a lot harder. But as I read those words in the devotional, I realized there's nothing wrong with having a big appetite to get things done during the day. It has become a problem because focusing on how much I have to do has taken me away from who I want to be, and who God truly created me to be. I want to be the friend who takes the time to make that call or write that email, instead of wishing I would. I want to be the wife who truly listens to her husband retell his day instead of letting my mind drift on to doing the dishes or baking more bread. I want to be the woman who knows where her strength comes from, who doesn't need to prove who she is or let her actions dictate her worth, but instead lean on my God for that strength and look to him for my worth and his loving approval. I now realize my rush was making me miss out on so much of not only who I was created to me, but also it was taking away the love I long to share with others.
Two of my very good friends and I started studying Luke together through email as a way not only to catch up on each other's lives, but to also pray for one another and grow in our relationship with the Lord together. I have absolutely loved it, and God has used both of them to speak to me so many times. Last week, it was one of those times where I knew God was using his words in the Bible to speak directly to me. Luke 8:42-44 states:
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who has been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.I tried to picture this scene in my head. And as I picture the mob of people surrounding Jesus to the point where he is almost crushed within them, my first instinct is,
How did he act so calm? How did he not push through the people to get out of the crowd? Because that would be what I would do. I imagine a celebrity, lets say Reese Witherspoon because she's one of my favorites. :) I see her surrounded by throngs of paparazzi, bulbs flashing, people shouting, elbows pushing a shoving. And next I see her b-line to her car or a store for safety, while men with cameras chase her to get the best shot. But unlike me, and unlike celebrities, Jesus slowed down. And he didn't just slow down, he stopped. Right in the middle of the chaos.
He stopped because he wasn't thinking of himself, or trying to protect himself from any danger. He stopped because of one simple touch. Because of one person who needed help. As you read further on in, it describes how Jesus stops and asks who touched him, and actually speaks to the woman, healing her physically and spiritually. It amazes me that in the middle of all the shoving and shouting, Jesus even noticed the woman. But he did. Because he wasn't in a hurry. Stopping to help and heal that woman was the heart of his mission, the backbone of the Gospel displayed in one simple moment.
I realized,
that's how I want to live.
That's the woman I want to be. One who in the middle of all the "hecticness," doesn't race toward the finish line, but slowly walks through each day, taking it all in. By giving into my stress and counting all the things I should do before Kyle gets home, I am missing out on so many opportunities to love and serve others. How many people have I passed who simply needed a second of my time, yet I trucked on down the trail? How many times have I missed the opportunity to truly help or share a moment with a friend by not taking the time to really listen and care for what they were saying? Because in the end, it's those things that make a difference in not only other's lives, but also your own.
And I know I may not have the supernatural powers that Jesus had to completely heal others, and I'm not saying I'm going on strike from cleaning the apartment or cooking dinner (I know you were worried, Kyle). But I do have a love that God has poured out to me with the hopes that it would overflow to others. I do have the ability to listen and talk through things, to email or call that friend. To pray for that person instead of just saying I'm going to.
But most importantly, no matter how busy I
think I am, I truly do have the time. Just like Jesus, I have to slow down, one step at a time. And of course, realize the promise that for now, I am a work in progress, but one day, I will be complete. Until then, I'm still learning.
An Unhurried Life
by Glynnis Whitwer
"Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!’ The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!’ Jesus stopped and called them. ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked.” Matthew 20:30-32 (NIV)
I am drawn to un-hurried people. I'm pretty sure it's because I'm the opposite - and wish I was more like them.
Unhurried moms take the time to explain to their kids where they are going. Hurried moms tell their children to get in the car and they'll find out soon. I think the children of the unhurried mom learned a bit more about their city, streets and addresses.
Unhurried women take time to chat with a tired sales clerk, and brighten her day. Hurried women rush in and out, glancing at their watches, and tapping their nails on the counter if there's a delay. I think the sales clerk got a touch of Jesus from that unhurried woman.
Unhurried women think about how to show love to others - whether it's picking out the right gift, a hand-written note of encouragement, or a phone call. Hurried women wish they had picked out the right gift, written a note, or made that phone call.
Although Jesus was busy, the Bible never mentions Him being in a hurry. Others around Jesus tried to hurry Him up, but Jesus refused to be rushed. He always made time to hold a child, touch a sick man or talk to a woman whose wrong choices ostracized her from others. Jesus could have hurried – He had more to accomplish in three years than we can imagine accomplishing in a lifetime. But He chose to put people over His schedule.
The solutions to a hurried life are simple, yet difficult to incorporate into a life that is addicted to rushing. For those of us who hurry out of habit, we must choose to slow down. We might choose to speak slowly, to walk slowly, or to eat slowly. We might get up 30 minutes earlier so that we aren't rushing our kids in the morning. We might have dinner in the crockpot so we can sit and read a book with a child, or chat with our husbands on the patio. We might not schedule business appointments so close together that we don't have time to ask a co-worker how his or her family is doing.
Some of us must address the issue of hurry if we are to live the grace-filled lives Jesus calls us to live. So take a deep breath, let it out slowly, pause to pray, and enjoy an un-hurried day.
