To Do Lists – Devotion 94

I always appreciate when I can get things accomplished.  The weekends seem to be crammed with things I could not get done during the week.  When else will I cut the grass?  Surely there will be time to wash the sheets, change the filters, catch up on laundry, work on the “to do” list that has grown too long.  I can get so much done with that time.  And then the weekend arrives.  And I work to get it all done – until I tire out, that is.  And as much as I like checking things off my list, when do I rest?  When do I stop and simply breathe?  When is it a good time to…have a sabbath rest?

That’s the problem.  Busyness can cause us to push things off until we have “more” time.  The lists grow longer, we get stressed, and then we forget to rest.  We push until we collapse.  Then we take a vacation that isn’t nearly long enough because we had already pushed so much prior to arriving.  We finally gear down about the time to return to our lives.  It is the perpetual hamster on a wheel.  But that isn’t living.

Sure, the grass needs cutting.  Yes, all of those things around the house really need to get done.  But if we do not take the time to rest, we will find we are out of balance.  We will find we are missing the joys of life.  Sabbath forces us to stop so we can remember that God created…and we have the joy of simply breathing it in.  It causes us to take a moment to notice all the goodness that fills our lives.  When it is all rush, we miss it.  When we are so exhausted that we fail to enjoy life, it all passes us by.  What a shame to miss all that God has given us.  We are given this beautiful life to truly live, and live abundantly.

How can you stop from your busyness this weekend to take in the beauty of God’s creation?  How can you simply breathe in his goodness and allow him to renew you, before you start again?  May you find sabbath this weekend.  It is waiting.

Focus Scripture

Exodus 16:22-24

²² On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers apiece. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, ²³ he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.’” ²⁴ So they put it aside until morning, as Moses commanded them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery