As I write this letter, it is near the middle of August and "the dog days of summer" appear to have left for now. I know that we will probably have a few more of these hot, humid days in the month ahead. Although some of us may see these as days we have to simply survive, I know people who revel in these days when "easy living" is almost forced upon us. When it’s 90-100 degrees in the shade, it’s often too hot to do anything but rest and be reflective. But, as September begins, for many of us, the time for rest and leisure seems to disappear. When the children return to school, it seems to set off the signal for most of us to become “busy” with increased activities, work responsibilities, and other demands on our time. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could take some of those restful summertime habits into the other parts of the year?
Most of us agree that Americans have become just too busy, leaving little time for relaxation, reflection, and relationships. The subtle danger involved in our "busyness" is that many of us never stop to realize that we may be able to do something about it. We tend to look wildly about for the cause of our trouble and feel like helpless victims where our work and activity schedules are concerned. But, ultimately it is we who have to determine what is important in our life.
Gladys and Gordon Depree wrote:
From morning until night
I am busy.
Surely all this motion
Is getting me somewhere,
Isn’t it?
Somewhere…
What an indefinite term!
Where am I going?
Am I any closer to being there
Than I was yesterday?
I don't know…
I've been so busy going,
I haven't thought about where…
Of course, I know,
I want to know God,
Now… as He is revealed in Jesus Christ.
Let's check and see if I'm going ahead
Or backward,
Or nowhere….
When we’re so busy hurrying through most of the hours of our day, we never seem to catch up. "Hurrying" causes us to miss out; it strains and stresses. When we hurry, it is like we are out of sync with our natural rhythms. We often stop enjoying life, our gift from God. We are so busy hurrying to somewhere that when we get there, we don’t take time to enjoy it. Instead, we hurry on to the next moment.
Certainly, I am not recommending the relinquishing of all work and responsibility; what I suggest is balance. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, we are told, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven". As Sarah Ban Breathnach notes in her book, Simple Abundance, we need to recognize it is not always the same time! When we cannot do it all at the same time, we are meant to do only some of it. In order to find out what that "some" is to be, we need to ask what we truly need right now; not just what do we want; how much does it impact on other areas of our life. We can have all that we need, just not all at the same time! Further verses of Ecclesiastes suggest that timing and balance is important in all areas of our life; maintaining balance in our life is health promoting.
In closing, I'd like to tell you "the story of the five balls" as described by James Patterson in his book, Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas. It goes like this: imagine that life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, friends, health, and integrity. And you’re keeping them all in the air. But one day you finally come to realize that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, or even shattered. Once we understand the lesson of the five balls, we will have the beginnings of balance in our life. There is, indeed, "a time for every purpose under heaven."
Peace and joy,
Bonnie