Some seasons in life are busy. I just finished a busy season. Let me tell you--- it was hard and I was overwhelmed. I would never try to hide this fact from you. Busy seasons are hard seasons. Even now, I am fighting the urge to tell you my LONG list of “to do’s.” Can you relate?
During my busy season, I had to focus on the task in front of me. I do not think this is necessarily the best way to live; but for me, it was the only way to make it through. As I walked through my busy season, I read a verse of scripture that helped me to have hope, direction, and determination. I want to share this verse of scripture with you!
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
(Psalm 118:1, New International Version)
During the busy seasons we need to remember that God loves us. One temptation during busyness is to function with tunnel vision. Tunnel vision occurs when we only think about what we have to get done during our day. This can easily cause us to feel overwhelmed as we look at a long "to do" list and think, "there is no way!” When we are overwhelmed, we can feel isolated and alone.
Daily we need to focus on the truth that God's love is a forever love. This means that His love has no end! Thankfully this is not true when it comes to our "to do" list. This world and our "to do" list are passing away. There is an end in sight!
On busy days we can see our "to do" list as a burden or as an opportunity. If we see it as a burden, then we simply try to survive by tackling each item on the list. If we see our "to do" list as an opportunity, then we surrender to God and know that He will give us the wisdom, strength, and resources that we need to thrive during our busy day.
I will be the first to admit that I failed this test more than once during the last six weeks of my life. We fail this test when we forget that God is the owner and creator of our day! He is in charge and our purpose in life does not come from our "to do" list. Rather, our purpose comes from simply following Jesus, step-by-step.
I want to give you one word of caution. If you constantly find yourself in a busy season, you need to pull back and take an inventory of your life. This is important… we often use busyness to hide deeper issues that need to be healed by our loving Father. We add more and more things to our "to do" list because we are trying to find purpose and meaning by pleasing others; or we are trying to avoid dealing with a hurt from the past. Busyness for a season of life is different than busyness as a way of life!
If you are in a busy season, let me encourage you to do two things:
Focus on the eternal love of God. This busy season will end! Stay focused on the things that really matter. Feel free to give yourself a break. If you do not get everything done, the sun will still come up tomorrow and God will still be in control! He is always faithful and always loving.
Know that God gives you exactly what you need. You can grow in your love relationship with God during busy seasons. Begin and end each day with prayer. Ask God to show you how to trust Him and how to rely on Him for direction and strength. Then… watch for His move. He will show up and He will show out!
For all of the busy people reading this, let me pray for you:
"Father, I thank you for Your eternal love. It is true. Nothing can separate us from You! Please help us to refocus on the things that really matter in life. Lord, help us to see our busy seasons as an opportunity to trust You. We know that you are faithful to provide exactly what we need. I want to lift up each person who is reading this prayer. Lord, grant them peace, give them direction, and fill them with Your love. We know that You are the ultimate source of our strength. Help us to reflect You during every season of life especially the busy ones.” In Jesus' Name, Amen.