3-8-2023

You may be familiar with Psalm 23. You know, “The Lord is my Shepherd……”, but have you heard this version:

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me into deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy, for activities sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task, I will never get it all done,
For my ideal is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines,
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressures shall follow me
All the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration
Forever

Many times I’ve gone home at the end of the day and commented to my wife, “I had a very busy day, but I don’t feel like I accomplished anything.” I may be the only one on the planet with this problem…..but I don’t think so.

For one thing, people (myself included) are far busier today than in the past. Sometimes I wonder where all the time goes! I call this, “The Toilet Paper” effect. You know, the closer you get to the end, the faster the roll goes……..

But here’s the deal: If you don’t master your schedule, it will master you. You might be surprised to know that God has something to say about the stress in our lives. Maybe you’re of the thinking that God is only interested in “spiritual matters”. But the thing is, with God, everything is a spiritual matter. He cares about every single aspect of our lives.

So let me give you three suggestions from the Bible for reducing the stress of your schedule:

First, line up your priorities. Obviously, you don’t have time to do everything. You must make choices. You must decide what’s really important and what isn’t. Take some time to consider the direction of your life.

Proverbs 12:11 says: It is stupid to waste time on useless projects.

Second, lighten up your attitude. Do you really have to do everything on your to-do list? No one is holding a gun to your head. A lot of your stress is self-imposed. God gave us humor as a stress reliever.

Proverbs 14:30: A relaxed attitude lengthens life…..
Proverbs 17:22: A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

Finally, look up to God. Stress is always a warning light that you’ve taken your focus off God and are looking at your problems from your limited viewpoint. I believe the single greatest cause of stress is this: We take ourselves too seriously and we don’t take God seriously enough! Need more time in your schedule? Check this out:

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I wish I could tell you that I have this all figured out. I don’t. Like most of you, I keep working at it………..

God bless you this week – this less-stressful week!