Sit By The Lake

If you stop to make a list of all the things you have to do, every single one of them, by the time you write down the list won't you find yourself further behind. Rush, rush, get to work, make deadlines, doctors appointments, birthday parties, oil changes..... life can become intensely busy. Is there a remedy for such out of control schedules? Yes, there is, follow Jesus example.

Matthew 13:1 tells us that Jesus went out and sat down by the sea; this was a very customary practice of His. We often find Jesus going into the wilderness, praying in a garden, or relaxing by a spectacle that God created in nature. You see, the speed of nature sets a rhythm for us, if we are willing to set aside our chaotic life for chunks of time spent in nature worshiping God, we will find ourselves much more relaxed.

The hardest part of getting the right balance in life is sacrificing those things that we think really matter. Sometimes we find in life that we have chased one high to the next, one important thing to the next, from one mountain top to the next, but if we are not built for such activity it shall wear us out. If we would stop and evaluate our activities by Biblical principles we would find ourselves much more satisfied in life. We need to measure is this activity that consumes my time, is it really productive, or does it just create a lot of excitement.

Another question to ask is, does this activity bring peace to the rest of my life. That may not sound to insightful at first but let us look at it. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, “peace,” hmmmm. Often times Satan will absolutely place activities into our lives that are fun, entertaining, dazzling, etc.... but at what cost. How much did it cost to go? How much does this event crunch my schedule? Does this activity bring pressure upon my life in any other way?

By measuring things the way Jesus did we can engage in wholesome life giving activities, ones that calm us, refresh us, and give us strength for our lives. You will find refreshment in praying to the Lord in a natural setting, try it.

Vernon Martin