I Choose Joy over "Busy-ness"

Another thing that can steal our joy is "busy-ness."  We want to do a good job at the things to which we are already committed, and sometimes it's hard to say, "No" to other things that sound like fun or things that we are expected to do.  Sometimes we get "guilted into" doing things that we don't really have any business doing.  When that happens, we don't have time or energy to do the things we should be doing!

The thing about "busy-ness" is that it creeps up on me without me knowing what is happening.  I never intend to get so busy and overcommitted that I lose my focus, but it happens -- way too frequently! 

God warns us to "be still" and to "wait."  He chose those words specifically for us.  He created us, and He knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows our tendency to become overcommitted to perfectly good projects in addition to our necessary responsibilities.  That is why we need to stay focused on Him and to depend on Him to set and prioritize our agendas.  (Excerpted from my book, "I Choose Joy.")

I've learned that the single most important tool in helping me to prioritize my time is a list.  Especially when my plate is very full or when I have a deadline that must be met.  If I will take just a few minutes to write down what needs to be done today, this week, and this month, I am much more likely to get everything done without adding superfluous, non-essential busy work that distracts me from the task at hand.  This works for me because I am slightly OCD (Is that an oxymoron?  If I am truly obsessive compulsive, doesn't that imply that there is nothing "slight" about it?  Oh, well, that's a discussion for another day.  Note to self:  stick to the list, stick to the task at hand.)

At the top of my daily list is to spend time in prayer, meditation, and reading God's word, The Bible.  You might say, "I don't have time for that."  I say, "I don't have time NOT to do that."  By starting my day with God, I am able to put my entire agenda into perspective.  Sometimes, after my quiet time with God, my plans will change, some things eliminated altogether.  But even if there are no changes to the to-do list, I am able to begin my day with calm, peaceful, determined diligence.  And when I finish the day's list, I am usually able to sleep better knowing that I did what needed to be done, even if it was not what I wanted to get done.  I try not to fret if I failed to complete everything on my list (refer to last week's blog post about anxiety), but I just move those things to the next day or eliminate them altogether.  It has taken practice, but now I'm usually able to predict how much I will be able to accomplish on any given day, spreading out the necessary tasks over a week or even over a month or more.  I feel a great deal of satisfaction when I am able to physically mark through each completed task, preferably with a heavy black marker, then toss the completed, blacked-out list into the trash.

Read the following verses and think about what God might be saying to you through them:

Be still, and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

Stand in awe, and sin not:  commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.  Psalm 4:4

It sounds contradictory, that being still will help you get more done, but it will.  Remember, God rested on the 7th day after creation.  God is all powerful.  He doesn't NEED to rest.  But He did rest to set an example for us.  We all need to be still and acknowledge that God IS, that He loves us, that He has a plan for us, and that His plan and agenda is bigger and better than any plan we might devise for ourselves.  When we work according to His plan, He will help us every step of the way, orchestrating the events of our days to facilitate His plan.  I've seen this happen over and over and over . . .  even in the most menial of my tasks.

So, my prayer this week, for myself and for you, is this, found in first few verses of Psalm 37, with our names inserted as indicated: 

"Dear God, please help me and the one reading this to -- 

Trust in the Lord, and do good; (to) dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.  (Help us to) delight (ourselves) also in the Lord, and He shall give (us) the desires of (our) heart(s).  (Help us to) commit (our) way to the Lord, (to) trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  He shall bring forth (our) righteousness as the light, and (our) justice as the noonday.  (Help me and the one reading this to) rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him."

I Choose Joy over Anxiety

I must admit that, for the last several days, I have been feeling some anxiety:

Anxious about creating a blog.
Anxious about what to write.
Anxious about whether anyone will read my blog or my book.
Anxious about how the blog and the book will be received.
Anxious because I know my life will change once the book is released.
Anxious about whether I am up to the challenges that are ahead of me.
Anxious about being anxious -- because I know I'm not SUPPOSED to be anxious.

I'll admit it -- I'm a worry wart.  If I don't have something to worry about, I'll worry about what I have forgotten to worry about.

But the fact is, I should not be worrying about ANYTHING!  

That is not how God wants me (or you) to live.  He tells us in Phillipians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (NIV)

Instead of being in a state of anxiety, God wants our minds to be in a state of perfect peace and joy.  Isaiah 26:3 tells us, "You (God) will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you (God)." (NIV) 

And also, Jesus told His disciples in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

The fact of the matter is, I am NOT up to the challenges that are ahead of me.  But God is.  I just need to trust that He will never lead me into a place where He is not with me.  He does not expect me to do this on my own.  Quite to the contrary -- He does not want me to do it on my own.  He only asks me to trust Him and to be obedient to Him.

So, I promise this week, to remember the following prayer.  This is my prayer, not only for myself, but also for you.  It is found in Ephesians 3:14-19:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from Whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (NIV)

I pray that we can both choose JOY this week, over anxiety. 


 

Book Release, Blogging 101

All my friends want to know when my book will be released.  The simple answer is, "I don't know."  My guess is that it will be around the first of the year, based on the general production schedule the publisher has sent me.  But every book is different, so every schedule is different.  My publisher, Tate Publishing Co., told me they usually allow 2 months just for the editing of non-illustrated books, but I'm hoping it won't really take that long.  Maybe that's my optimism showing :-)  And editing is only the FIRST step in the production process.  Anyway, I have added a calendar page (see the link above) and will try to update the production schedule as I get more information.  Later, once the book is released, I will use this calendar to let you all know about book signings, speaking engagements, etc.  If you are interested in following the book's progress, keep checking back here and on the calendar page. 

Not only is this my first attempt at writing a book, but it is also my first attempt at writing a blog.  My goal is to publish a post once a week to begin with, probably every Monday -- I know, today is not Monday, but that is "the plan."  We'll just have to wait and see how well I stick to "the plan."  "The plan" is to encourage my readers to choose JOY every day, no matter what circumstances they may find themselves overwhelmed with at any given moment in time.  Along the way, I hope to share some of the challenges I have faced or am facing now and how I am doing at following my own advice to choose joy.

I hope you will post your comments (you must register with a user name in order to comment) or subscribe to e-mail updates.  If you like what you read here, or if you think it might help someone else, I hope you will click the link below to share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media.

Since I have never done this before, and since I am attempting this blogging adventure on my own, without a tutor, trusting that Google is as easy to use as they say it is, I am sure I will make mistakes.  Please be patient with me, but don't be afraid to point out mistakes that I am making or to give me suggestions about better ways to "build my platform" (that's the newest catch phrase for what I have always known as "making friends").  I see this as a grand new adventure, and I hope you will join me for a good time.