Always In A Hurry

I catch myself, sometimes, being in a hurry even when I don't have to be. Speeding when I'm not late for an appointment. Rushing even when I'm just playing a game of solitaire on the computer. I have to consciously make myself slow down and relax. Why are we so geared for always being in a hurry? Ever noticed when you're driving down the road and you're whipping in and out trying to get in front of the car ahead of you that when you get to the stop light that car is sitting right beside you. You ain't gained any advantage.

Of course being in a hurry means I'm also normally tensed up. Every muscle in my neck and shoulders are tight as a steel band. I have to constantly force myself to relax and allow those muscles to release the tension. Boy, does it ever feel great when I do that! But, I'll find myself all tensed up again in a few minutes, rushing through trying to get something done when there is no time limit on when it has to be finished. We've become a world in a hurry. For what? Getting something done in a hurry doesn't accomplish anything other than making mistakes that we have to go back and fix which means it's taking us longer to finish that project than it would have taken if we had slowed down, relaxed and paid more attention while doing it. We're only making ourselves finish things later than needed by being in a hurry to get them done.

We live in a world where we expect everything to be instant. We get upset and complain if we get to the drive through window and our food isn't immediately passed out the window. Geez, they had the 23 seconds from the time we finished placing our order and drove to the window, so why isn't our food ready? We decide to watch a movie and we complain because it takes 10 seconds for the movie to buffer before we can hit play. We put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and complain that it takes 3 minutes to be ready. It should be ready as soon as we push the button. We complain about sitting in traffic even though we arrive at our destination 10 minutes before our appointment. Of course that's only because we were driving 14 miles above the posted speed limit to get there.

We've become an impatient people. We want what we want 30 minutes BEFORE we want it. Maybe that's why God put "wait upon the Lord," in the Bible so many times. Not for those who wrote it but for us, today. Because we don't like waiting. We don't want to be patient. We want instant gratification. Instant results. Instant food. Instant entertainment.

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Sit back, relax and do nothing. Don't look at the timer to see how much time has passed or how much time is left. Just sit, relax, take in the world around you. Force your body to relax. Force your mind to be quiet. Do nothing but sit and enjoy the peace and quiet until the timer tells you 15 minutes is done. You will be amazed at how good you feel. How much easier things will progress through your day. Just 15 minutes. Give it a try for a week or two and let me know the results.

Money is Not the Root of All Evil

I keep hearing people say, "money is the root of all evil," and it's not. The LOVE of money is the root of all evil, according to Jesus. Money is not a good or a bad thing. It's a necessary thing, but it's when we start to love money that we can allow that to influence us and lead us away from the life God wants for us. God is not anti-money. But, when we begin to want money to the point that we aren't helping our brothers and sisters and we're stockpiling 7 or 8 or more figure bank accounts and having stock portfolios that are worth more than the average home, that's when we run into a problem. And step outside God's will and plan for us.

I have been accused of being anti-wealth, and I'm not. I believe money is a great thing when it is used in the right way. It's the hoarding and the treasure hiding aspect of money that I have a problem with. I'm not advocating that people cannot have bank accounts or stock portfolios, but I am saying that if you are amassing a huge amount of wealth and you are not helping those who are in need that you are not following God's plan or doing His will. God gives us blessings so that we can pour them out on others. In fact, it's really rare for God to just miraculously lay a huge blessing in your lap. It generally comes from someone else, or a few others. And we are supposed to share our blessings with those around us who are not doing as well as we are.

Nowhere and no time have I ever said that a Believer has to surrender all his possessions and give to others. Because I do believe money can be a usefull tool in getting the Good News out there to those who need to hear it. But when we have so much more than we need and we're walking past people who are hungry, homeless and helpless, we have a spiritual problem. Not a money problem.

Earn good salaries, plan for your future, but also help those who are in need of help. That's why we're here. To help others. To bring others into the kingdom of God. To show them that Jesus is the answer they've been seeking. Be a good, faithful steward. And I pray God blesses your feet right out of your socks today!