Life is in the “Being” – Not the “Doing”
by Donna Watkins
TheHerbsPlace.com

Are you tired of all the DOING?  Wouldn't you like a little bit of time just to BE you?

Life is in the BEING....not in the DOING. We mentally agree to that with a
huff and a puff and a rebuttle of, "Yeah, but you should see my schedule!"

Never have enough time? Always running from task to task? Desiring to
scream, "STOP!! I want to get off!" but can't find your voice - or the time
to do it?

You can schedule time for you!  You are in charge of the schedule you make
and there is time in every day for you, if you'll reevaluate life!  What do
you believe you're here for? To Do? To accomplish?  To complete tasks?  To
'get it all done' -- only to find that it needs to be redone again the next
day or a week later?

IF you're really tired of it all --- and I mean REALLY --- you CAN change
your life!

You must first realize that your life is not about what you do! I believe we
were created to fellowship with our God and the world He created for us. The
world has become a rat race of who does the most and who does it best. Do
you have conversations with people and verbally recite the list of things
you did the day before? Or have you done it as an answer to a question from
somebody who wants you to do something else? The first thing we have to
realize is that life will go on without us. That is beyond some people's
imaginations. We tend to think everything will fall apart if we're not
working the schedule.

Sit down and take an inventory. Write down every task you do - daily,
weekly, and monthly. Now that you've got your list, don't let pride take
over. It will look like it's impossible for one person to really do all of
that!

So, instead of pride....how about a good dose of remorse? You'll get a good
start on that when you make your second list.

Write down everything that you 'don't have time to do' that you would like
to do. Include in that the things your family would put on that list ---
after all, why bother to have a family, if you don't want to share life with
them? List the really important stuff that you think would make life
worthwhile.

Now look at the two lists. Pretend that you just moved out of the country
and you are going to get a fresh start on deciding what you want your life
to include. You'll have to picture yourself out of the country, knowing
nobody yet, because we pressure ourselves into doing all kinds of things
because of what 'somebody' might think.

Circle the things from either list that would make up that "My Life Is...."
list.

Now that you can see all the things that you really don't want to be doing
(the items that are not circled), how about scheduling a plan to get rid of
those tasks or to delegate them to somebody else. You can adopt a frugal
lifestyle which would allow you to pay somebody to do the necessary things
that you might not really want to do (i.e. cleaning, laundry, yardwork).
With a clear mind and some time spent gleaning frugal ideas, you can go a
long way towards what you consider REAL life to be.

It is okay to say "NO." You may be the spark that lights somebody else's
attempts at being who they really want to be also. Lead by example. Begin to
simplify your life. In doing so, you may shuffle around a few friends. Those
who still can't believe it can be done, or those who believe that what they
do is who they are, will flee. As you change, you will draw unto yourself
those who are on the path back to simplicity....those who have a little more
peace than you do....those who seem to have found what life is really all
about. If you're ready to head down this path, I wouldn't doubt that you can
think of somebody that's been led into your path of life to show you there
is a better way. Grab hold of their hands and let them take you down another
road to a place that doesn't spin and sway from hurry, scurry and worry.

We really are not indispensable. That might be frightening to some, but if
you'll take the time to think about who you are, and what you want your life
to say when you're gone......you'll take hold of that life and schedule
Peace and Joy instead of Hurry and Worry.....and imagine what that would do
for those around you?

I read something the other day that really put it into perspective:

Martha Washington has been dead for 200 years, but somebody is still dusting
her house.  You do not have to be responsible for everything!

The world will still be okay if you take time to find out who you are and
what you've been created for.  We often miss our destiny and purpose in life
because we get caught up in all the details of each day - "Tyranny of the
Urgent."  Back off and take charge and decide to be somebody different.
Remember that NOT ONCE in the Bible will you find mentioned that Jesus ever
hurried, yet look at the awesome responsibility He had and the short time
frame to work with.  If we are to be pictures of Jesus before others, what
is the picture you're drawing doing for those around you?

In America it is hard to slow down, but it is possible.  It's just the
lifestyle of the world you live in.  But we are not to take on the ways of
the world.  You can look in so many other parts of the world, and a slower
pace is normal.  Sometimes it takes a bit of perspective to see what's right
before us.  Separate yourself and be who you were designed to be....and the
first role of that design is to fellowship with God.  Adam walked in the
Garden with God.  Noah walked with God.  David was a man after God's own
heart.  Be a person who KNOWS the Lord.  If you plan to spend eternity with
Him, why not become intimate now?

This is from Oswald Chambers' "Utmost for His Highest."  "The golden rule
for your life and mine is this concentrated keeping of the life open towards
God.  Let everything else - work, clothes, food, everything on earth - go by
the board, saving that one thing.  The rush of other things always tends to
obscure this concentration on God.  We have to maintain ourselves in the
place of beholding, keeping the life absolutely spiritual all through.  Let
other things come and go as they may, let other people criticize as they
will, but never allow anything to obscure the life that is hid with Christ
in God.  Never be hurried out of the relationship of abiding in Him.  It is
the one thing that is apt to fluctuate but it ought not to.  The severest
discipline of a Christian's life is to learn how to keep "beholding as in a
glass the glory of the Lord."

Don't let anybody tell you or tempt you to "do more" or to enter into the
"scurry about" lifestyles of this age.  If the devil can keep us busy with
worries and activities, he has no need to worry that what we do will have
any of God's power in it.

Blessings of Peace and Joy!
Donna Watkins
http://www.TheHerbsPlace.com
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