Tag Archives: busy

Look in the Rearview Mirror God is Pursuing a Relationship With You

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I love this shot, it just feels like my life over the past few months, and it makes a great photo of the day today. I took this shot with my iPhone on the way to work in the rain a few weeks ago, and in a blur of motion, when I looked in the mirror this fog and bright sun filled the road behind me. It reminded me right then that God is chasing me, pursuing me to a deeper relationship with Him, not to be able to get more things checked off my to-do list. It’s a constant battle to slow down when we live in one of the fastest paced cultures in the world, but the second I took this shot that’s what I felt. Not that God couldn’t catch up with me, but that I was trying to outrun God in some way.

Thanks be to God that He is always pursuing His people, even when we are trying to run away, whether on purpose or just from being too busy. In real brief theological terms, we call this sanctification, or the process of being made into God’s likeness (see Romans 8.26-30). All throughout Scripture this is what it tells us, over and over again, God is in fast pursuit of His people. One place this is evident in particular is in John 17 in the middle of the High Priestly Prayer. Jesus is praying for us, in pursuit of us starting in verse 9 He says “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me… keep them in your name… I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost… keep them from the evil one… sanctify them in the truth… so even as we are one, they may be one.”

How great is that, to know that Jesus actually prayed for his people, and is continuing to pursue us every day. The flip side of course is when we continue to ignore that relationship, and continue to try to outrun God’s pursuit. Still, we are assured that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness,” and intercedes for us just when we need it.

Trying to Remember the Why in the Go in the Middle of Life

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The last few days has really kicked me in the back side, and I know it’s just because I’m just trying to get too much done before I leave. That time is gone now since there is no time left, but packing all this stuff reminded me of the why in the go. I get frustrating with packing all this stuff, because it’s stuff, and stuff just seems to get in the way, it takes up time, money, and in the larger scheme of things, probably isn’t necessary. But, on this side of eternity, we all need a certain amount of stuff I guess. A good friend of mine put it to me like this today when I said that I hate cars, “you do until you need to go somewhere”, which pretty much makes the point.

At some point tonight I did manage to get all that stuff, stuffed into a suit case, and then I looked at the photo above and remembered why all the effort to actually go is worth everything is takes to get there. I can’t wait to get under way tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to seeing Joanita again (the girl in the photo above), there’s just only so much packing and preparation one can do before it about drives you in sane.

Getting Sick is a Waste of Time, Or is It?

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Azalea in Bloom

I would say I hate getting sick, but so does everyone.  I haven’t been sick to the point where I felt like I needed to stay home from work (or refrain from work, these days you can work from anywhere) for years.  I say years because I really can’t remember the last time I didn’t feel well enough to go to work, until yesterday.  It really only lasted a few hours in the morning and then the rest of the day was semi-productive but it got me thinking about what a waste of time it is to be sick, or is it God’s way of forcing us to slow down.

Being sick always seemed like a waste of time to me.  All of a sudden you are sitting at home with time (which seems to be manufactured from some where, because if you weren’t sick you wouldn’t have the time) to do just about anything, except you can’t or don’t do anything because… you are sick.

Time to stop and smell the flowers so to speak.  In a few weeks this part of the country will be in full bloom of Spring.  The photo above is one of our very early bloomers in the front yard, and a reminder that one of the most beautiful times of year in the south is on its way, if we stop and take the time to look.

10 Things That Being Sick Brings to Mind

  1. we are not in charge
  2. those of us in generally good health often take it for granted, until we get sick
  3. we have time, we just don’t make time
  4. you take pleasure in little things, like silence
  5. a cloudy rainy day is a great time to be sick
  6. no one wants to be around you
  7. your spouse is the greatest person ever
  8. nothing tastes good
  9. daytime programing hasn’t changed and the news is still annoying
  10. the work you did’t get done, probably didn’t need to be done that day anyway

Of course this comes from being sick where I couldn’t move or do anything for about half a day.  If I was laid up for several days in a row I am not sure what in the world I would do with myself.