Keeping Hurry from Your Heart

     How does one write a slow-living journal entry when it’s a busy season?

     I’m currently rather scattered between writing and trying to make good progress on multiple projects during a writing camp, working on a scrapbook, and wanting to work on birthday cards for next year. That could be part of the reason why I wasn’t sure what to write in the journal this month.

     There will be seasons of our life that are busy – whether it’s because we procrastinated in the past, we took on too much at one time, or life threw a lot at us all at one time.

     The important thing is to make sure it’s only seasons of life that are like this and that we are not making it a way of life to always be too hurried and not have time for the important things.

     So, what should we do when we find ourselves in a busy season?

     We need to learn how to prioritize and make breathing room and space to slow down – right in the middle of the chaos.

     The most important thing is to make sure that our time with Jesus is not one of the things we let go of. We need Him just as much when we’re busy as when we “have time.”

     A lot of times the hurry and bustle are not so much what we have going as they are what is inside us.

     Has the hurry crept into your heart? Do you find things you would normally enjoy becoming a chore because you’re trying to rush through them?

     Take time to slow down, focus on the task at hand, and enjoy the privilege of doing it.

     Right now, I’m working on my writing goal by typing this post. Do you know where I am? On my swing in my flower garden!

     It’s a beautiful day, and I’m getting fresh air and relaxation while still working on my to-do list.

     Let me describe what it’s like out here.

     As I sit in the swing, it sways ever so gently. From time to time, a gust of wind toys with my shirt or skirt.

     Crows are cawing insistently in the distance, and leaves rustle all around me. Some of them float dreamily to the ground.

     My salvia bush and purple shamrocks are blooming, rejoicing that the drought has lessened and the burning rays of summer gone.

     The garden really isn’t much to look at after a hard summer, but the beauty is there if we take the time to look for it. Fluffy, white clouds are drifting by, apparently in a hurry to be somewhere else. If I was in that mindset, I could be in a hurry too, rushing to do the next thing.

     But, how can one hurry when one is out in the calmness of a beautiful autumn day, handcrafted by our Creator?

     Wherever you are working today, be it inside or out, soak up the opportunity.

     Be present.

     Enjoy working unto the Lord at the job He has given you to do today. Don’t hurry. God never gives you more to do than what He gives you the time to do.

     Slow down and bask in the season of life where God has placed you!

     Please excuse me while I lie back and relax in my swing for a little while before I move on to another project.

Would you like to read more about soaking up the moment in the middle of a busy season? Check out this encouraging post that one of my fellow campers wrote recently!

Let’s Chat!

     What beauty and blessings surround you today? How are you going to make time to soak up the season? 

     Until next time, don’t let the hurry creep into your heart!

In Christ,

Bethany