Inspirational Words - Are You Too Busy?

Devotional:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

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Commentary:

One day follows another and often our lives are so busy that we wonder where the time has gone. We get discouraged because it seems we are spinning our wheels and not accomplishing anything we want to and somehow it never gets better. We neglect our family, our friends, the people that are most important to us, and most of all we neglect God. God loves us and listens to us and is never too busy or unavailable. He is always there, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, every day of our lives. Yet, often we’re too busy and unavailable for Him and He is shoved to the bottom of our priority list. The busier we are, the harder we work to catch up. The harder we work to catch up, the faster we move. The faster we move, the less time we have for prayer. The less time for prayer, the more likely we’ll try to handle things on our own. The more we try to handle things on our own, the heavier the burden. The heavier the burden, the more we need Him.

There have been many times in my life when I thought I could handle things on my own and didn't give God control. I have learned, though, that it is only when I give Him full control of my life that things really "work". For me, the secret of it all is the peace that knowing Him brings and knowing that I can call on Him anytime I want or need to. Many people think they don't have time for prayer, or communication with God, yet I have found that every breath can be a prayer. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate or orchestrated, just a simple thought or communication with Him, like you would a friend, and after all, He is the greatest friend we can ever have. More than once as I've driven to work and noticed a beautiful tree in bloom, or saw ducks swimming in the river alongside my road, I have stopped to say "Thank you Lord, for the beauty of the earth, and for creating it for my enjoyment". It is in those precious moments, the intimacy of a one on one conversation with God, that He gives me the peace I need to start my day and get me going in the right direction. He can do the same for you.

We have so much to be thankful for and God is at the heart of all of it. Take time to thank God for the small things and He will bless you in ALL things. He will restore control to your life and most of all He will give you peace.

Meditation:

We love you Lord, and we're so thankful for the many things you give us to bless our lives with beauty. Help us to always look to You, first and foremost and give us the wisdom to know that it's only when we give full control of our lives to You, that our days become what we want them to be. Father, we thank you for the gift of Your Son, Jesus and for your presence in our lives. Thank you for loving us, even when we don't deserve it, and thank you for being the Awesome God that You are. In Thy holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stories to Touch the Heart and Warm the Soul:

The Carpenter's Glasses

~ Submitted by Pam Groggs ~

My mother's father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to orphanages in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone.  When he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what had happened; the glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China!

The Great Depression was at its height and Grandpa had six children. He had spent $20 for those glasses that very morning.  He was upset by the thought of having to buy another pair. It's not fair, he told God as he drove home in frustration.  I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this.  Months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that upported him in China, so he came to speak one Sunday at my grandfather's small church in Chicago. The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting him.  But most of all, he said, I must thank you for the glasses you sent last. You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses.

I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your crates arrived.  When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on top.  The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in.  Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued:  Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that. The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they thought. There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas. But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.

There are times we want to blame God instead of thanking him!  Perhaps we ought to try to thank Him more often.

May GOD bless your week. Look for the perfect mistakes. People are like tea bags - you have to put them in hot water before you know how strong they are.