Several years ago, this was my verse for the year: “...make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business...\" 1 Thessalonians 4:11 NASB
I was harried; feeling strained as a result of having demands that exceeded my resources. I have hurried: everything I did, I did in a hurry. I felt rushed all the time.
It wasn’t about being more disciplined with my time, managing my calendar, or being lazy. It was my appetite. My appetite for more.
What I needed was to slow down, simplify, and return to a sustainable pace of living.
Now, with this COVID Wilderness, everything is hyper what it was pre-COVID. Now it’s harried and hurried on steroids! We need to simplify and slow down before we blow up, crash, or burn.
Jesus offers us a better way, a more simple way, when He says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:26-27 NASB
So, you’re not sure how to simplify in this wilderness? Ask God. He will make a way through the wilderness. He knows you are looking for the land of milk and honey and He can get you there. Show your good intentions by taking a few micro-steps.
Practice slowing. Cultivate awareness when you’re out of control, going too fast, breathing too heavy, pushing too hard, wanting it too much. Awareness is the key. Practice slowing. Give yourself a time-out if even for five seconds. With practice, you will slow down.
Less is more. Practice saying “no.” No to more stuff, more email, more calls, more technology, more excitement, more activities that pull your family apart. Less is more.
More is less. Reduce clutter. Get rid of stuff. Have a garage sale and get rid of anything you’ve not touched in 6 months. Create some space to live in and then learn to live in it.
“There is a healthy kind of busyness where your life is full with things that matter...by that definition Jesus himself was busy.” -- John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
This is the season to discover a sustainable pace. Make this your ambition -- to pursue a sustainable pace, to make your house a home, and carve our space in this wilderness for hope to come alive.
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Pray
Oh man God, this hits home! I can hardly imagine plain, basic, uncomplicated with all the technology I deal with, the zoom meetings with the kids in the background of my kitchen-table-turned-home-office. You know I need this. Help me remember to talk to my spouse or a good friend and begin to slow down. Amen