Okay, readers— you might as well consider this post as part two to last week’s story. After coming out of a particularly stressful week, I realized just how busy my schedule had become. As I moved into the weekend, I had a conversation with a dear friend who encouraged me to look at my commitments. She said something like, “Now Cassie, I know you wanted to be busy and have an active schedule, but maybe its time that something just has to give. You can’t be responsible for everything or you’ll go crazy.”
I thought about this throughout each struggle and disappointment— as the car broke down and the tow truck came, when I thought about how I had missed attending a concert I had looked forward to for a long time, as I struggled to find a driver for my work trip to Madison. I found myself asking God why things weren’t working out for me. I had put so much effort into everything and suddenly I was hitting a barrier. Why?
On Monday morning, I weeded through staff applications for the camp I direct. I fought with my computer and printer, and all the while, the frustration built up to a breaking point. I decided I needed to stop, take a breather, and have some lunch. After my brief lunch break, I still didn’t feel completely at peace, so I logged onto my church’s website. I had missed the worship service the day before, so I was eager to hear my pastor’s sermon. It was one of those times that I found myself in the words he spoke to the congregation.
Pastor Tim talked about the Israelites as they returned home to Jerusalem during the time of the prophets and how the building of the temple had been delayed time and time again. The Israelites had started the project but didn’t quickly see completion. Pastor Tim considered this to be in direct result to a lack of commitment to God— a refusal to put God first in their lives. As he continued to speak, he talked about the importance of making sure God is always at center stage in our lives.
The stage is a fitting metaphor for me in my life since I have spent many years performing and leading worship from up on the platform. I think of the new TobyMac song “Steal my Show.” The song asks God to come in and steal the show away because it is Him that the audience has really come to see— not TobyMac or any other performer. As Pastor Tim talked about the importance of showing others what we’re about at FRC, he stressed the importance of letting God come in and take the driver’s seat in the midst of all of the busyness in our lives.
This resonated with me because I often feel like I’m too busy to let God take complete control of my life. I am focused, driven, motivated— eager and willing to follow through on what I have set out to do. But sometimes I get so bogged down in the details and planning that I forget to seek out my Savior and put Him first. When I take the time to spend a few moments in His presence, I am revitalized and renewed. So if quality time with my Best Friend produces such an incredible experience, why do I put Him off so often?
It all comes down to just being too busy to recognize that He is waiting for me to come to Him. Pastor Tim’s sermon quoted portions of Jeremiah 29, and I would like to share the promises contained in these verses as I close today. Perhaps these are words you are needing to read today to motivate you to seek Him above all else.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
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