The Garden (Irises) by Monet
“God gives us time. But who has time for God?”
I read the line again. And I thought.
Every gift comes from God, and time is certainly a gift. If God sees fit to give us 24 hours in a day and I brush past Him like he’s a forgotten figurine on a dusty shelf, then what on earth am I doing that is so all-fired important?
Ann Voskamp can write like nobody else’s business. That quote is a line from her devotional, which I am re-reading this year. Her words in my life each morning have set me wondering about how I use my time.
I have been sucked into the trap of rushing. Rushing to finish the book so I can start another one. Rushing to this place so I can get home and put my feet up (huh, like that one’s going to happen). Rushing to make dinner because it’s already 7:00 and, by golly, I’m starving.
But over the last few days, I’ve been realizing that when I’m rushing, I’m not really living. When you’re driving down the highway at 70 mph (or, for the rebels, 75…or 80…or more), you can’t see the red bud trees blooming. You can’t hear the birds singing over the noise of the tires on blacktop. You can’t smell the wildflowers over the air-freshener you’ve got clipped into your air vents.
We can’t see the gifts that God gives because we tell ourselves we just ain’t got the time.
Have I really been living this way? Can you really call this living? Or is it like that Matthew West song – am I just going through the motions?
So, one of the things I’ve been doing the last few days is just throwing my plans to the wind and letting God set up His own agenda. If you know me, you know I am a nose-to-the-grindstone kind of gal. I need to-do lists to help me feel like I accomplished something.
But, you know what? These last few days, I’ve been learning. Really learning. I’ve discovered that when I just take things a little at a time – when I slow down and pay attention – I get more satisfaction out of the here-and-now moments.
I started Romeo and Juliet and am reading a little at a time versus trying to suck it all down in a few big gulps so I can get on to the next book. And you know what? I’m enjoying it (shocker!).
I’ve been paying attention to my body, too. When the tum-tum tank reads full, I stop. (All except for last night…but we won’t go there…I’m back on track today). And it’s satisfying to know that the best part of my day doesn’t have to be a dessert or a piece of junk food.
I’m working up my courage to submit a piece to a magazine. I started the article and instead of rushing in and pounding every kink out at once, I’m spreading it out over time. Already, the words are shifting from “bleh” to “this is starting to make a little sense.”
Jesus says in Matthew 6:25, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”
I can’t help but wonder what Jesus means when He asks if life is more important than food. Is He just talking about the day-to-day breathing to stay alive kind of deal? The going through the motions? Somehow, I don’t think He is. Jesus didn’t live that kind of life. He lived with purpose. He live on purpose.
And that’s the kind of life I want to live.
How about you?
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