When to Run and When to Rest, and Why

This morning, our Friday morning charity crafters consisted of only me and another gal, both of us definitely senior citizens. We had been talking about how tired each of us was and about how we were probably just about ready to hit the wall, needing to stop and rest a bit. We compared notes about how much "running" we had done this past week.

I'm not sure what drove her "running" but tonight I began to think about what drove mine. Not all my errands and tasks were motivated in the same way. Some I could not avoid. However, thinking back, I did notice that some of the hectic activity could have been avoided with a little more thought. And, if not avoided, it could have been handled at a different time in a different way.

Some grocery trips could have been combined, for instance. I realized that some of my running around was necessary, but some was not immediately necessary. When I am in that kind of hectic, frenzied, gotta-get-this-done mode, I do not always think wisely. At those times, I do not always set my priorities wisely, either.

In today's multi-tasking atmosphere, we feel driven to do as much as possible, and to do it as quickly as possible. I've been recalling the times when Jesus fell away from the crowds who sought him out. At those times, he prayed, considered options, and otherwise recharged and regrouped his efforts. Am I any better than he was? I guess I know the answer to that one.

So I need to begin to find a way to identify those things which must be done right away compared to those things which can be done at a different time, indeed, if at all.

I'm reminded of the last few words to that Serenity Prayer that AA adopted, the one that ends with "...and the wisdom to know the difference." Those words apply, for sure, when life is rushed.

Dear Jesus, help me please, to know when to follow your lead by getting enough rest so that I can make wise judgments about what to do and when to do it.