Content right where I’m at …

When things are crazy busy in my life – work, home, my mind (in the form of worry) – I feel like I’m just rushing from one thing to another. Rushing to get up, get dressed, feed the dog, spend a few moments with my husband and then off to work.

At work, I boot up my computer just in time to make it to one meeting, then another. I grab a bite to eat prior to the afternoon meeting, and then I find time to work on my projects. So the days go. I accomplish things and check them off my list. And more things move up the list to take their place.

My husband was in the hospital recently with pneumonia and I visited the hospital gift shop. It’s something I do, partly because I want to see what the competition is doing – we have a retail gift shop at work. And, partly because I needed a bit of inspiration. I came across a book by Carey Nieuwhof, “Didn’t See it Coming.” It covers how negative feelings can creep into our lives without us even knowing it. The first chapter discusses “cynicism.”

In it, Nieuwhof says, “Busyness is the enemy of wonder … .” He states that “curiosity is the discipline that kills cynicism and keeps hope alive … .” That struck a chord in me. One of his suggestions is to “schedule thinking time … .”

This isn’t a new idea and yet it hit me like a ton of bricks. I need to schedule time for myself. Time to think, ponder and process. Give my mind time to create, be curious and be open to new things. What a concept.

At the same time, I feel God has been nudging me back to church. My husband has always been better than I at attending church regularly. I can come up with five super important things that I need to do, rather than go to church. And yet, when we go, hear the Gospel message, sing our praises and celebrate Communion with Christ and his people, there’s no place else that I’d rather be. Why is it so hard?

I want to practice “being” more than “doing” in my life. A few weeks ago I was convinced that I needed to book a hotel room, take the dog with me and get away to a quiet place. Then, I realized that I have that place right at home. My husband and I had gone to church, enjoyed a nice meal out and returned home in time to see three innocent young deer in our backyard. The recently mowed grass was like catnip for them and they enjoyed the protection and peacefulness of our yard. God has always been present to me in nature. Here were three “disciples” that God sent to us so that we might experience the joy and wonder of His beautiful creation. What a gift!