Soul Care 201

Hurry Sickness! It's an epidemic! Here are the symptoms.

Impatience while your computer boots! "Hurry up will ya?"
Spying the check out lines to see which lane is the shortest or which clerk the fastest.
Coming up to a stoplight in a multi-lane road and pre-determining which cars ahead of you will pull out the fastest..
Got the disease? Most of us do... But listen to this.

"Be still and KNOW that I am God." Psalm 46:10

"Martha, Mary has done the better thing, sitting here at my feet." Luke 10:38-42

As we move onto to Soul Care 201 our life skill is that we must slow down! We MUST! We live in a very distracted culture. I have noticed now with text messaging and internet savy phones that there may be a need for phone etiquette. When I am with a person in a conversation but they are checking their phone for a text, or checking e-mail their eyes are on their phone and their minds are not present. I can get that way with God. I may be in a quiet room alone with my Bible and journal but I am not present. Martha was in the same house with Jesus but she was preoccupied. Jesus rebuked her and said it's better to be with Him than busy/hurried doing things for Him. Doing things for Him is good as well but not as good as being with Him. We were created for relationship!

So here are some things to work on in our 201 edition;

* Learn the art of being still! Learn to slow your mind, thoughts down. Leave alone for a few minutes each day the to do list, the conversations yet to be had or the ones you have and are replaying, slow down!

* Understand that being busy and even productive can rob you of relationship with God. Granted, getting things done and checking things off so that you make time with God is good. But which comes first? It needs to be the first thing and even then don't check meeting with God off as if it were a task. Relationship is never task! God actually longs to meet with us, alone and un-interrupted, as well as throughout our day. But if we are so busy in duty and task we might miss a word He has for us, a scene He wants for us to take in, a person to help or a joy to experience...

* Jesus was never in a hurry, nor should we be. It amazes me how much coffee we drink and how many energy drinks we consume. Why? To get more done! And yet we also are spending more time on sleep aids! I just read those thoughts in John Elderdge's book "Walking with God" Is your soul refreshed or tired, dutiful or alive with anticipation of the adventure ahead?

Check out your soul and listen for hurryness. Perhaps it's time to learn to slow down in order to truly live!