Marching to a Different Beat

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just couldn’t catch up? (grad students are never caught up, so at least you feel me). This week, I have especially felt the pressure of time slipping by too quickly. No matter how hard I have worked, the “to-do” piles don’t seem to decrease. For some reason I have been bothered by not being able to accomplish all that I hope to accomplish. I have felt…well, grumpy about the whole matter. As a result, I have had a hard time sleeping, I have not felt like playing with the kids, and the time I have spent with others has felt rushed all because there are more important things to do that occupy my brain activity

This past weekend, I led the Turbo Group Training for those that will be serving as mentors for those in the Turbo Groups. It was another thing added to my already packed schedule, but helping people mentor others well is something that I am passionate about. So, I agreed to serve. During the course of the training we were looking at Gen. 1, and someone made the comment that God didn’t create the world in one day. He took six days, and then rested on the seventh before doing anything more. At the time, I thought it was one of the more obvious observations of the chapter and didn’t think much of it. However, as my week has progressed, that comment has begun to take root in my life.

Knowing God could have created everything in an instant, but didn’t, reflects something about God. He somehow was not concerned with the rate at which things got done. There is an honor in his work that recognizes when enough is enough. I then remembered that at the end of each day, God proclaimed, “It was good.” This simple act of creating, stopping, and deeming it good has been instructive to me…because it is not how I live.

The simple comment that God didn’t create the world in one day has walked with me this week. As a result, I am trying to learn how to do my work of creating in time, not outside of it. When the day is done, I am learning to stop and call the day good. This rhythm is shaping my life, albeit slowly, as I focus less on what I have accomplished, and more on the gift of being able to join God’s work of creating…in time.

Getting out of sync with God’s rhythm in my life has proven to dishonor my work and the people in my life. Pray with me that we would be a community that learns to follow God’s lead as we think about our work and relationships. May we learn not to rush God’s work in our own lives, expecting him to work in our time frame. May we learn to release our expectations of others that serve to dishonor our friends and family. Instead, pray with me that we would learn to create, stop, and bless in the rhythm God has invited us into.