Staggering Tired...

I recently read Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli...This is one page that has burned an impression on my thoughts...

"We are going as fast as we can, living life at a dizzy speed and God is nowhere to be found. We're not rejecting God, we just don't have time for Him. We've lost Him in the blurred landscape as we rush to church. We don't struggle with the Bible but with the clock. It's not that we are too decadent; we are too busy. We don't feel guilty because of our sin but because we have no time four spouses, our children, or our God. It's not sinning too much that's killing our souls for most of us it's our schedule. Most of us don't come in at night staggering drunk, instead we come home staggering tired, worn out exhausted, and drained because our lives our too fast.

Voices surround us telling us to move faster. Maybe it's our boss, our parents, our spouse, or sadly even ourselves. So we do! We live life in the fast lane because there are no slow lanes. The only comfort our culture offers is more lanes and increase the speed.

Spiritual growth is not running faster and doing more. It happens when we slow down. We can't meet Jesus on the run. Christianity is not about inviting Jesus to speed through life with us; it's about noticing Jesus at the rest stop and pulling over to sit with him"

Two years ago my wife and I were staggering tired. We were youth pastors and children's pastors at two different churches an hour apart that caused to be out of the house 6 nights a week. I also had a full time day job as a Housing Director at a university. The more we did the better we thought we were doing in our ministry and in my job. But the more we did the more tired we go. My life was suddenly filled with things I was "having" to do not what I was wanting to do or was called to do. Cynicism creeps into your work life, oozes into your personal life and then floods your spiritual life until you are completely drained from your energy and you feel ashamed, guilty and worthless....

That was two years ago...I have since taken lessons from Mary and Martha and spent a little time on the floor at the feet of the One they call Jesus.