Do you ever wake up and feel so very disconnected from your own life? Has every good thing in your life just become something similar to a task that needs checked off your list? Have you ever had people comment on how wonderful your life seems and you are left wondering 'am I just ungrateful'?
For instance I was fortunate enough to be invited to go on a free cruise to Alaska a month ago. It was a wonderful 9 days with my sister, cousin, and BFF filled with lots of laughter and new views of God's creation. However, two days ago my best friend and I were talking that we feel as if that much anticipated trip was nothing more than a distant blur and had just became "one more thing" on our task list. Imagine a free Alaskan cruise being likened to mowing the lawn?!?! We also talked about how incredibly busy we had become and often times we each felt as if the life had been sucked out of us and we were just going through the motions of life. Even our quiet time with God was feeling that way.
Later in the day as I was taking a break from a yard project in sweltering heat, I sat down with a glass of ice water and the June issue of Proverbs 31 magazine. Have I mentioned how incredibly busy this summer has been, yet? ;) Upon starting Hester Christensen's article on rest, I scoffed to myself "ha, who has time to rest?" but I continued to read. She had me at her 5th sentence when she stated life is not meant to be "like an exhausting game of leapfrog, jumping from one thing to the next." Wow! Prior to my conversation with my best friend that is exactly what I was thinking my summer had become. For a second I even wondered had Mrs. Christensen been secretly sitting in on our conversation?
As a several generations "farmer's daughter" anything written from a context of farming speaks to my heart. As a youngster I remember our family still practicing God's plan of leaving fields to rest. Having lived in a society that tells you the opposite "produce, produce, produce" I am seeing the wisdom of following God's plan....especially when it doesn't seem 'logical'!!!!! Soil can be "burnt out" of it's vital nutrients if not allowed to rest....much like us. Mrs. Christensen included a self-evaluation list to determine if your in danger of burn-out. I found myself answering 'yes' to more than I want to admit!
Fallow Ground was a good wake up call to the true issues in my life......"the gospel cannot take root in our lives when we are choked by busyness, selfish pursuits, and worries." If you too are feeling like life is a blur then please go to www.proverbs31.org and locate this article. Or go to her site at www.HesterChristensen.com Believe me when I say the time will be well spent!
