Thought I would do something a little different this week and show what I’ve been up to this first half of April.
Good books, good food and spring blooms have made for a pleasurable and beautiful start to the season. Work and learning have filled the days. Old TV, old movies, and new movies have kept me entertained. And the promises of God have kept me in constant reminder of His perfect love.
What’s in your April photo journal?
(Photos: iPhone; iPhone Netflix app screen shots; Furious 7 official movie poster)
Each and every morning when I realize there’s still breath in my body, I give thanks for the blessing of life and the gift of a new day. The clock sounds at 6:00, and as soon as I can shake off sleep and the night’s dreams, I pray, acknowledge God, and the day begins. I review the calendar, release it to God, and aim to stay where His spirit leads. Though some days bring more to do than others, my goal is not to actually do, but to be.
One word that I have taken out of my vocabulary, in order to focus on being, is busy. It has become, seemingly, an all-too-common descriptor of our days, and even more sadly, of our lives…
What has happened to living that makes it so busy? What are we choosing to do with our lives that crowds out the important things, the things that matter? Friends, we’re not designed to take on the world. WE CAN’T DO EVERYTHING. Even in the Blogging 101 course I took, team leaders had to respond to fellow bloggers who found themselves “busy” and behind on the daily assignments.
Life requires balance. Whatever your current life path, you must MAKE time for the basics. You must make time for prayer and reflection. You should never be so busy at work that you don’t have time for lunch. Shut off the computer, put the pen down, and EAT. Your children don’t need to be involved in every extracurricular activity known to man. They need time for homework, and they need time with you – at dinner, enjoying a good book, movie, or even a talk.
Listen to your own life – what are you passionate about? What are you called to do? Then focus on that. Give, but only from the heart. Quality time with family and friends should be just that, QUALITY time, not rushed time.
I have a friend who often says she’s SUPER busy! Always on the run… I can’t imagine. Unsurprisingly, I don’t hear from her anymore.
Friends, let’s truly and finally stop the glorification of busy. It’s not healthy, and frankly, it’s not attractive. Take out what doesn’t belong, what’s “too small” for you now. Make space for the true things, the things that fit. At the end of the day, your body and spirit will thank you for it.
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalms 118:24 KJV)
Easter is on the way! I’m sure you have plans to do all the things you normally do for Easter: buy a new outfit, take the kids to the mall for a picture with the bunny, color eggs, memorize a line or two for the play at church. But will you take the time to think on the true meaning of the holiday?
Easter is a time to ponder the resurrected life of Jesus and the new life we have through Him. It is a time to reflect on our lives over the past year – the good days and the bad days; the times we stumbled off the path, and the times we stood strong and firm; our joys and sorrows; our triumphs and tragedies; the times we honored God, and the times we became like Peter and denied Him.
Easter means being raised with Christ in all our ways and committing again all our ways to Him. It means putting away the old and worthless and finding the Light that shines newness on all things.
So make an effort to capture the true spirit of Easter. Be raised with Christ to a new standard of living. Don’t let the day die – allow it to keep going and going and going. Like the Energizer Bunny. Perhaps it’s the appropriate bunny for the Easter season.
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (Matthew 28:6 KJV)
Previously published, in part, in PRAISE!Magazine, Vol. 8, No. 1, 2003, Melchee (Tate) Johnson, editor. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
M E L C H E E 