CLC Blog

A lot of us nowadays fell like we always have to go, go, go, do, do, do. Even in the midst of the laid back culture of Santa Cruz county. Often times this can seep into the DNA and into the fabric of our church as well.

This is a great post from another blog regarding our habits of business and the need to simplify, to be before God, and to spend time in the presence of loved ones. I’ve pasted the content below. Take a read and see what you think:

Quality time is somewhat of a commodity on my mom’s side of the family (2 grandparents, 15 aunts and uncles, 18 cousins). In fact, this past June was the first and only time in my entire life I’d ever had a chance to be alone with my grandpa! And I’d argue that I gained more wisdom in those thirty minutes than I ever have in a family reunion setting.

The main thing we talked about is how different today’s society is compared to that of 50 years ago, when Grandpa was my age. He told me he thinks we are slowly killing ourselves by trying to do too much. All the time. For everyone. No one takes any time to relax, they just go, go, go, do, do, do. Grandpa said fifty years ago, no one talked about being “stressed out”…it’s something we’ve brought on ourselves.

With ever-improving technology, you’d think our lives would be easier. But they’re not. Now, we think because things are easier to do, we should be doing more things instead of using the extra time we’ve created to just—gasp—relax.

In ministry, this burden is compounded, because there are lives at stake. More technology = more communication = more people to reach. More. More. More. Go. Go. Go. Do. Do. Do.

I’m not saying we need to forget about the Great Commission and what God’s calling us to do. But we do need to occasionally take a step back and assess where we are, where we really want to focus our energy and time, and what things we need to delegate. There will always be more work to be done this side of Heaven. We need to realize, however, that God doesn’t want us to stay so busy doing that we aren’t dedicating any time to being. Being attentive to His Spirit; being present in our loved ones’ lives; being conscious of the gifts and passions He’s given us; being in the moment; being still long enough to really worship–rather than putting “worship God” on our Sunday morning To-Do list.

I’m as guilty as the next person where busyness is concerned. Grandpa’s advice hit me hard, at a time when I really needed to hear it. Since our conversation, I’ve seen a plaque with suggestions on how to “SIMPLIFY”:

S – Slow down
I – Imagine doing less
M – Make time for loved ones
P – Practice patience
L – Learn to gently say no
I – Increase your quiet time
F – Follow your heart
Y – Yield to life, yield to peace, yield to joy

In what areas are you trying to do too much? How can you simplify?

Remember, God made us human beings, not human doings.