Sunday, June 14, 2015

Sunday Scripture ~ each day has enough...


Busy, busy, busy.
That's the common language of this era.
That's the usual response when people ask, "How have you been?" 
We rattle off a list of all we've done, and are doing, and shall be doing, to reinforce that we truly are a busy person.
In fact, I think many of us wear the Busy Pin as a badge of honour. It shows the world we're not lazy, that we're being productive, that we're achieving.
Perhaps in our private thoughts we want to be admired  for our busyness?
Ouch.

I admit to having been a product of that thought, but it was such a fickle, exhausting, and even deceptive state of mind. You know why? 
No-one cared how busy I was because they were too busy being busy themselves.

I'm almost six months into this Year of Gentle Domesticity and I have to say that it's unfolding in ways I never imagined, blending into areas that weren't considered at the dawn of 2015. Lately it has subdued my busyness, giving each day a delight in the here and now - slowing my mind, thoughts, plans and days.

The big 'aha' moment that changed my course was during an early morning read of Matthew chapter 6 (the sermon on the mount). Reading through very slowly to look for things missed previously, it was as the chapter closed my study was struck still by these four simple words, "each day has enough".

You see my to-do list had overflowed onto the next page of my planner every day that month, and I'd been lamenting before the Lord in prayer that I couldn't seem to complete all my tasks each day, let alone catch-up with my lengthening 'postponed' list! 
It felt like commitments were swallowing me whole and just getting the basics of home duties and answering business emails in the few hours left each day were pushing me beyond my time boundaries.
I even began to shorten my daily time in the Word to leverage business and home hours for my perceived advantage. Something had to give, and I was on the brink of shortening even further my morning devotions. 
Fortunately I woke up when the reality of Matthew 6:34 illuminated from my Bible page because everything changed.

"Each day has enough..." said Jesus, and in that truth I meditated for many hours. With a mental white-out pen I removed from my thoughts yesterday and tomorrow, and sat contemplating that one day which had just dawned, the people that make my day joyful, and the true obligations I should fulfill on this particular day the Lord had given me. I let everything else fall away and did not write my usual to-do list. As the hours passed I just did the next thing, and the next thing...no rush, no anxiety, no list to follow. I kept it all very simple, and in just one day discovered that this was another lesson in Rest and Renewal.

I don't commit to anything anymore unless I'm sure it's the best thing (not a good thing), and it doesn't bother me if the floor didn't get vacuumed and the washing wasn't done, or there was no time for stitching and writing patterns, or if I couldn't make it to the grocery store and had to 'shop' from the pantry for dinner. 
I don't stress when a friend calls for a chat or if Blossom drops by for a few hours before work 'just to have coffee' - yet previously these unplanned occasions would make me anxious and I'd be mentally calculating all the 'things' I couldn't do because I was talking to someone I care about instead. I sure had my priorities out of balance!

Every morning now, as I write no more than a handful of probable  'to-dos' in my planner, I also write and pray "this day has enough" and I leave tomorrow until tomorrow. There's no catching up, no falling behind. There's just today and whatever the Lord brings with it. Busy is a word I no longer want to use, and hopefully won't hear so often either. 

I'm a work in progress though, so there shall be times when I slip up and lose sight of what's best, but a lesson has been taught and it's going deep. In time this will become second nature.

So how am I today?
Rested, relaxed, pottering around and enjoying this very precious gift of a Sunday.

hugs

You can download the printable Scripture card and devotional HERE.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's so perceptive, Jenny! I've read this often, but I always forget, lapse into bad habits. Yesterday, I managed to fret only a little because of similar things, and felt I'd made a good choice. Monday, I may be back to fretting, but you're right, one day at a time is enough and will be sufficient. Thanks for the reminder. We should not run before we can walk!

This reminded me, too, of something I heard on the radio yesterday. A woman was talking about Proverbs 31 and how we sometimes think this means a good woman is constantly busy, busy, busy, but it wasn't written for that. It was written to praise women! It was written to remind men of all the things women do, not as a list of things we should be doing every day. How far we sometimes get from the truth!

Deborah said...

Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Socrates

I read this quote when I was 20 and it became my prayer for my life. I haven't always succeeded but being busy is something I have always tried to guard against!

I appreciate the verse in your blog today...truly each day does have enough. I hope I can remember that too!

Jacqueline said...

I need to work on this. Thanks for the gentle reminder.

Allie-oops Designs said...

I need to work on this too - I don't really feel relevant unless I have more than enough to do!

Baa. xxx said...

So true Jenny! So many people are like little hamsters on a tread wheel - no time to think.

Jeanneke said...

Working on this has been and will be keeping me 'busy', feeling blessed (with) each new day, that I can and may do so.
Thanks, Jenny, for another beautiful post.

Liz said...

Lovely thoughts. We have a saying in our home "give your time to the Lord and He will give you the time back". Makes me think of a lovely lady I knew 25 yrs ago . She got off her sick bed to talk to me about the Lord. What a blessing. We are not to waste time worrying . I love your sharing about a friend ringing or your "Blossom"calling by. So many times I have been anxious about similar circumstances and once I gave it to the Lord,my house stays tidier I have more time for cooking and being a help to people who need me."this is the Day that the Lord has made ,we will rejoice and be glad in it!

Brenda said...

Just recently did I discover your blog from another site and I have enjoyed reading several posts and projects. Your post today was wonderful. Although I am a disabled stay at home wife and mother to 1 left the roost many years ago, it can be difficult not to overload the list. I used to have terrible seizures, blackouts and migrains several times a week. My husband of only 10 wonderful years, helped me learn to take it one day at a time and not to worry about so many things but to turn everything over to our Lord and Savior! We have both been Christians most of our lives, but we still learn new things or re learn specifics on a daily basis! Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful only what I can and want to kind of day!

Jackie said...

Lovely post. Thank you....

Farm Quilter said...

So true, Jenny. Yesterday is gone and nothing we can do will change it and we are not promised tomorrow so why waste time worrying about something that we may never see?! All we have is today to walk with the Lord and please Him with the work of our hands and minds. Nothing else matters!

Blue Jeans And Teacups said...

Lovely and inspiring. Thank you and God bless! ~Heather Elizabeth

e said...

A verse to live by - The Holy, inspired words of our Heavenly Father. They are always enough, and give us exactly what we need, when we need.

xx

Lin said...

Thank you Jenny. xx

Grammasheri said...

So this morning I wrote in my devotional journal, confessing to the Lord how much I'd slowed down, how "lazy" I'd become because I wasn't very active anymore. I prayed that he would bring me out of this desert of slothfulness. You see, all my life I've been extremely busy, productive, driven. Now that I'm getting older I'm slowing down and it really bothers me. When I read your post just now it struck me that the Lord may be telling me that I'm ok where He's placed me and that I need to see this time as a gift and a period of reflection and retraining. I'm so thankful for your post, Jenny.
Taking it slow in AZ..,

Mary Jane said...

Thank you so much for your Sunday thoughts. Perfect endings for a perfect Sabbath.

Faith said...

Thank you for this. This passage is something I need to meditate on. Retirement has been somehow... not actually busy, but left me with a constant feeling that I have not done enough on too many days.

Tricia said...

Thank you, Jenny. I hope you don't mind that I used your picture as my desktop picture. This is a perfect reminder for me right now. My month changed drastically when my husband was found to have a dime-sized cyst in the center of his brain. Surgery was a week and a half ago and he is home now and recovering. My day doesn't seem to have as many hours as it used to, but I don't want to miss this precious time of serving him. Your reminder was so timely. Blessings - Tricia