Playing Catch-Up

Is it really possible to "play catch-up"? We all have those days where we feel we are or may actually be late in carrying out our scheduled tasks or plans. Possibly due to conditions beyond our control, but mostly due to choices we have already made. Another term heard used for this syndrome is 2 small words with a big impact ~"Too Busy".

Psalm 127:2 was a devotional verse I read recently in the quiet moments of my day. At first glance I thought it referred to a meaning that was speaking about chasing the "mighty dollar", so prevalent in today's society. Those who keep long hours away from home, at home or both in the pursuit of financial gains they feel they need to have in order to be happy and survive.

"In vain you get up early and stay up late" Ps. 127:2

But upon a more focused look, I saw how it could also be applied in a multitude of ways. With one in particular addressing the pursuit of many a homemaker, wife, women with jobs outside of the home, and mothers of the world. All around me, myself included at times, I see people, especially women trying in vain to stuff more and more into their daily schedules. We are so busy doing that we fail at just being. I have come to see multi-tasking as a tool of the devil that causes us to loose sight of what is really important at any given moment in time.

I am sure some of you have heard the story about how the devil was seeking a way to keep some Christians from being effective in the kingdom of the Lord. His helpers tried many ways to tempt them into stopping what they were doing. Being the committed people that they were they kept right on helping the needy, teaching God's word, caring for their families and friends, reaching out to others, preaching, witnessing and a host of other acts of service. Upon the next meeting of the forces against them, it was decided that the best way of making them inefficient was to just give them more to do. Just "keep them busy" was the battle cry and with the plan in action, we have been too busy ever since.

Staying too busy keeps us pulled in too many directions, that hinders us from giving our best to the task at hand, the one that really counts for all of eternity. I have seen where trying to do 2 or more things at the same time divides our energy and attention, so that we do the job halfway and most often not to the best of our abilities. Even at times to the expense of our health if we are not careful. I now see that in order to fully appreciate and enjoy the task before me, I have to be focused and aware of it at the precise moment I am participating in it. Active participation requires a conscience effort, not mindless activity that steals God's riches from us. Trying to juggle a multitude of thoughts in our minds leads to stressful thinking. Just as easily as trying to muli-task can and will lead to stressful living or as I have renamed it ~ half living.

For I see the best life has to offer us as either living in abundance (alive) or deceased and at home with the Lord. The choices we can chose from are alive, half-living, or deceased, of which we seem to easily chose half-living most often as the option for us. Do we find ourselves like a walking zombie, one who is really dead but don't know it? Are we walking around in our lives half-living, but also half-dead to the possibilities before us?

I believe this verse speaks of trying to do more than we were created to be about. The end result is decreased sleep which gives way to health issues and fatigue, then leading to "burn out" and unloving service to others. God has ordained our days, each one of them, HIS plans have been set into motion, and we have a purpose before us to glorify HIM with our lives. I don't think we can accomplish what HE has for us as Zombies or even Biblical Marthas. There are blessings to be enjoyed this side of heaven, but we will miss them when we are too busy to see them.

Deborah