Apples of Gold

As I opened my eyes this morning and thought about stepping onto the cold floor, as is my habit on Monday morning, I began to contemplate my to-do-list for this week. It took all of about 30 seconds for a substantial weight to begin to descend upon my shoulders, like a wheelbarrow filled with boulders, creating a burdensome load of necessary accomplishments that exceed my capacity for completion. I’m sure some of you experienced something similar, and others perhaps refused to even peek at your list, knowing it was excessive as usual. I’m quite certain the pace of many of our lifestyles surpasses the design God intended. 

My Bible reading in Genesis caused me to consider what it would be like to simply need to care for your flocks and herds, tend a simple garden and prepare simple, if not somewhat repetitious meals for your family. Even someone as unskilled at sewing as I am could likely put together a few robes for my family! 

Just wander with me here for a minute. No soccer games, no dance, no PTA, no running to the store for that one ingredient missing from a rather complex recipe. No 9-5 with an hour commute on each end. No texts or calls during dinner. No presentations to prepare. Ok, no running water or air conditioning would be a hard sell for me, but still, the simplicity and lessening of constant demands is rather alluring. 

When we find ourselves on the frenzied treadmill of activity we need to be aware that an adrenaline driven life is a breading ground for anxiety. Anxiety is at an all-time high. 

We worry that we won’t have time to get everything done, or that we will fail at a task. We even worry when we have a rare free moment because we don’t know what else to do! 

We treat worry as if it is productive even though we know better.

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Matthew 6:27

And yet worry we do! Did I do too much, not enough, a good job? Did I offend someone by doing too much or not enough or even a good job? While these questions are understandable, at times we allow our worries to slide into the spiritual realm and our confidence in the reliability of God begins to waver.

The enemy lurks in the corner, watching for the smallest crack in our resolve. When he sees it he pounces in with perhaps his oldest line:

Did God really say…? Genesis 3:1

Can you trust him? He’s taking a long time to act, maybe he is ignoring your cry. Maybe God meant he would never leave everyone except you. Maybe you went too far or not far enough.

We need to recognize his tactics for what they really are. The desperate attempt of one who is, in actuality, powerless over the child of God, to convince us that God didn’t really mean what he said.

I’d rather listen to the words of David:

I know the LORD is always with me, I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16:8

As I wade through the swamp of urgent tasks vying for my attention I find that I have a steady, faithful navigator by my side. He drops creative solutions into my thoughts, brings relief with reinforcements ready to join in and divide the load. His choice of supply is varied and often unexpected but it is always there.

When we are operating from a position of overcommitment and exhaustion it is easy to default to anxiety. How will I get everything done? Anyone ever wish for a clone, just for a day or two? I remember telling my kids: “There is only one of me!”, when they were all pulling me in different directions. 

If our schedules demand we live life at a sprint we might be doing this wrong. We might be checking many things off our list but likely we are not enjoying the ride and unfortunately one of the first areas we tend to cut back in is our time with the Lord. He doesn’t get mad at us. He doesn’t complain but slowly we begin to wither and, more likely than not, cut back even more. 

If we take the time to listen we will hear a gentle plea:

Then Jesus said,”Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. Mark 6:31

Jesus is not demanding our time. He doesn’t want something from us, he has something for us, something that we desperately need. 

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33

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