Without a doubt we live in a fast paced, crazy-busy world today. So how do you slow down from crazy to casual?
The word casual is rarely used to describe life – except for how we dress. Occasionally, my wife will invite me to attend a work-related function with her and I will ask how I should dress; the reply usually comes back, “casual.”
In Mark 7:21-22 Jesus warns us of what comes from the heart; things such as evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. You don’t have to work at these things; they come naturally to the human heart.
Take a child for instance; you don’t have to teach a child to be selfish, say no or throw a tantrum. You do not have to teach the child to hit, scream or get in a fight with another child. Rather, you find parents trying to teach their children how to be nice, caring, sharing and controlling their temper.
I recall too many times of hustling through the airport, bobbing and weaving through the crowd pulling my carry-on baggage behind me.
Every so often I would have to stop and adjust my baggage because the smaller piece on top fell off and was dangling off the side of the larger piece making it difficult to keep moving forward.
When the baggage gets in the way, two things happen.
I find this experience similar to what we experience in life.
I am dyslexic and as a result, reading and writing are very tedious for me. I naturally struggle to comprehend what I am reading, and trying to capture my thoughts in writing is a real struggle.
While these are real issues of struggle for me, I have lived most of my life trying not to let others see my weaknesses. I tried to appear as I perceived others to be: without weaknesses.
Two of the most dominant attitudes driving actions in our society today are anger and hostility. We could use much more kindness and gentleness. We have a choice of which ones we want to characterize our lives. The challenge is that anger and hostility seem to arise naturally, but showing kindness and gentleness require us to be intentional.
Last week I asked the question, “Are you doing too much?” We looked at some signs which may indicate that you are doing too much. This week I will explore how you can take back control of your life and begin to live at a more manageable and healthy pace that will renew your passion for ministry and leadership.
Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. Think of it this way, when a baby, or for that matter twins, join a family, does that family get any more time added to their day to care for the additional family member(s)? Obviously, the issue is not a matter of “enough time” but of managing time effectively. How can you best use the time available to you and avoid becoming too busy? Consider the following.
I recall a time in my life as a leader when I bought into the myth that being busy was normal, even necessary. I was on call 24/7 and felt I was needed; that gave me a false sense of value, power, and control. In the process, I neglected my family, my health, and my spiritual and psychological well-being.
In today’s world, it is common to think that unless you are crazy busy, you are somehow neither effective nor normal. Unfortunately, we have bought into the myth that busy is expected and necessary.
Let me suggest some red flags to look for as signs that you have probably bought into the myth.
As you look forward to this new year, what are you taking with you from the past year? That may sound like an obvious question, but in reality many of us don’t take time to reflect on what we are taking into the new year from the previous one.
While you may be making plans for what you would like for your life in the coming year, I want to challenge you to take a look at what you are carrying with you from the past year. If you do not take inventory of what you are bringing but focus only on what you want to achieve, you may find yourself struggling to achieve your goals for 2017 mainly because they are being sabotaged by things you brought with you from 2016.
As you celebrate this Christmas let’s not forget the reason for this season of celebration: it is God with us. God became flesh, reaching us with His love, mercy, and grace. It is very easy to get caught up with all of the cultural trappings and commercialism, and miss the real meaning of Christmas.
Hanging the lights, decorating, shopping, giving and receiving of gifts and all the goodies to eat is certainly part of Christmas celebrations in North America. But these are not the reason for Christmas; the Lord Jesus Christ is. If we are not careful, we could celebrate Christ’s birth without Him being present.
How can we make sure we celebrate Jesus?
When was the last time you enjoyed a 24-hour period without doing anything you regard as work?
How regularly do you have a 24-hour period in which you do not do anything you regard as work?
How is your health? How are your most important relationships? Are you thriving, or merely surviving?