Read:
“Be still and know that I am God;”
~Psalm 46:10a“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place call Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
~Matthew 26:36“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.”
~Matthew 14:22-23
Consider:
Standing in the checkout line at my grocery store at 5:30 in the evening is to see a myriad of tense and tired faces lined with a multitude of concerns. The weight of their busy and distracted lives has them burdened and dominated by their circumstances and schedules, many of which I would imagine they believe they have no control over. Is there any hope? Jesus, through his words and example, shows us a way through. If we can settle our minds, we can figure out what to do best with our time and our lives.
When Jesus went to Gethsemane Garden he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. His circumstances were dire and inevitable. He kept his community close, but distanced himself enough from their demands and distractions to settle his mind and consider his priorities. His priorities guided him through and he was able to fulfill his purpose of saving the world.
Separating ourselves on a daily basis from our busy and distracted lives allows us to pause and consider our priorities. It is in those 10, 20 or 30 minute moments of stillness that we remember that God is… he simply is. And with this acknowledgment we turn to him and read his word. This form of self-care is not selfish. We are keeping ourselves from being overwhelmed by our busyness and pursuing any path other than the one God has called us to.
With this mindset, a mother will choose to let kitchen clean up wait and instead she will linger longer at the dinner table to laugh and enjoy a silly moment with her family. When we settle our minds, we are allowing ourselves to not be dominated by our circumstances. We have choices. We can choose to allow our priorities to show us how to navigate busy seasons.
Breathe:
Exhale being overly busy and distracted…Inhale doing the best you can and trusting God with the rest.
Pray:
Praise you, Jesus, for showing me how to settle my mind and live with purpose. Please help me to not waste my life by choosing anything that takes me off the path you have for me.
Today’s post was written by Beth Holland.
Beth Holland lives to make a difference that will encourage, inspire and impact lives for eternity. She loves to write, travel, read and work on significant projects. You can often find her spending time with her family at local parks, museums or the beach. Being the mother of two grown children, son Micah (soon to be married to Alyssa) and daughter Ashley Elizabeth and married for over 30 years to the love of her life, Dan, is what she is most thankful for. She can be found on Sunday mornings at Real Life Christian Church | Kaley Campus.