What I Needed to Hear

If you've been reading my posts for a while you know I'm working through adjusting many aspects of my lifestyle.  I'm changing old habits for new ones.  I'm eating healthier foods. I'm exercising much more than I have in years. Last week I talked about needing to change some of my priorities. 

It's been a busy week, perhaps the busiest week I'll see this month.  There's been little time for quiet contemplation and assessment.  It's been run here, prepare for that, don't forget that errand.  Go! Go! Go!  I was mentally and physically exhausted by Saturday evening. That's not very conducive to coming up with creative and effective solutions.

Sometimes the quite of a Sabbath is what I really need.  We're taught in the writings of Moses that God spent 6 days working and then took one day of rest.  We're advised to do the same.  It's so easy to think of all the things we could accomplish on that day off. Errands can be run, yard work, house work, homework, you name it and it seems to fit nicely into a day when part of the world takes a break while the rest rushes on.

A couple of the lessons I heard today were particularly timely for me.  One speaker referred to the story of an anxious father from the New Testament.  His only son was seriously ill. He would fall down suddenly and foam at the mouth.  No one knew how to help the boy. The father begged Jesus to help if he could.  Jesus told him all things are possible if he could believe.  The desperate father answered, "I believe; help thou my unbelief."

The second lesson centered around the metaphor of a buffet.  Life is like a buffet.  You can't eat everything.  You have to make wise choices.  First choose the best selections. Then you add some of the better items.  Finally, if there's room, you add a few of the good things.  This speaker's plate of priorities included: time for God through prayer and scripture study, time for family and integrity.

I'm not perfect.  The goal of perfection is an ongoing project.  Thankfully, God is willing to help where I fall short in my sincere efforts.  Perhaps if I take the time to reassess my priorities through a best, better and good priorities system, I can find a way to spend my time for the greatest good.