First Steps – November 19, 2018

This week—Thanksgiving Week—kicks off the holiday season for many of us.  Life is now full-speed ahead!  As I look at my calendar I see nothing but one event after another.  Although many events are packed with fun and merriment, they are taxing.  So, if you’re life is like mine, then I offer some words of wisdom from Beth Richardson, a Christian devotional writer.

She wrote:

Humans process 500,000 bits of information per day. That works out to 110 bits of information per second. While this may sound quite impressive, it quantifies the fact that our nervous systems can barely process two conversations taking place at the same time. … It’s not about our ability to multitask … it’s just how we’re made.

That must be why many of us are feeling quite overwhelmed and short on time. …

During the last ten to fifteen years, many of us have added cell phones, e-mail, the web, and a 24/7 urgency to our environment. …

There isn’t, of course, any way to create more minutes in a day or more days in a week. It’s not healthy to get by on less sleep or learn better how to multitask. I think the key to finding time lies in a couple of things:

 Being intentional about spiritual practice. I must sink my roots deep into God’s Spirit every day. When I take time for God, it makes a difference in how I function in the day . . .

 Carving out space inside for God — no matter what situation I’m in. Finding time is not just about “clock time,” it’s also a combination of discipline and internal spaciousness that helps me connect with God even when I’m sitting in traffic, overcome with anxiety, or surrounded by a crowd.

As we begin this wonderful but crazy time of the year, remind yourself that you control your own schedule so be intentional and carve out the needed space for God.

 

 

This week’s reading:

  • Monday – Hebrews 7
  • Tuesday – Hebrews 8
  • Wednesday – Hebrews 9
  • Thursday – Hebrews 10
  • ​Friday – Hebrews 11

Please Pray for:

  • Our nation and our leaders
  • Our families, homes, workplace, church, and community
  • Those that are suffering and grieving
  • Ongoing Building Renovations, Modifications, and Phase 3: Construction of New Youth Building and rear parking.
  • The United Methodist Church.