Are you inwardly rushed?

Wow....after rushing around this morning to prepare for the family coming to celebrate J's birthday today, this was just what I needed to read! Isn't it amazing that God can speak to us even through our computers! This was in my inbox just when I needed it and I felt it fitting to share it with you all. May it bless you too! I am off to shower now before the family arrives.

Do you ever have so much to do that you feel completely overwhelmed? Do you feel too tired, too weak, too irritated, too disorganized, too ___________(fill in the blank) to possibly get everything done that you should?

Beloved, I sometimes feel like that too.

But in my recent reading I read an incredible quote from one of my favorite authors, Amy Carmichael.

"..she learned that duties do not clash any more than do the stars. If we become inwardly rushed we shall feel as if they were all [the children in her care] demanding attention at once. But if we are inwardly quiet we shall see the purposed sequence and take them one by one. An angel is never sent on more than one errand at a time."

So if duties do not clash, we must learn to listen and watch for the ONE voice that can take all the disorder and chaos and give us purposed sequence. This reminds me of another author I love, Elizabeth Elliot from whom I learned the phrase: "Just do the next thing."

But these two ladies had something more than just an idea or a formula. The key to being able to be successful in perceiving and doing "the next thing" is a close relationship with the Lord.

There are times in my walk with the Lord when I feel extremely close to Him. He is at my side, at my shoulder, whispering in my ear, guiding my footsteps. And there are those times when I am so busy in my own agenda, I forget he is there. The difference for me between those times seems to be quite commiserate with whether or not I am sincerely praying and reading or studying his Word. It also has to do with what I use to fill my head all day. The music I choose to play in the car, the books I read at bedtime, the websites I read, the devotional I keep tucked in my bathroom or in my purse can all help fill me with the good things that will lead me ever-closer to my Lord.

Alternatively, if I fill my head with spiritual junk food, the noise and clamor of the world will seep in once again. My tasks will be overwhelming because I have no one clearly directing my path.

So, today, I am reminded once again that if I am inwardly quiet I shall see the proposed sequence and take my day one thing at a time.

"My vocation is no game." - The Golden Road, Raymond De Perrot

Happy Homemaking!
Malia Russell
www.homemaking911.com