Simplify

What a difference 100 years can make! Before WWI people did not have the convenience of washing machines, microwave, internet, televisions and even the basic home telephone, not to mention the I phone. Banking was done at the bank, not in your living room. Laundry was a set day of the week or month and would take a whole day. Cooking was started early in the day for the evening. Days were packed with all those activities.
Today we can do laundry everyday and it does  not take all day. A meal can be ready in 5 minutes in the microwave. We can pay bills and transfer funds while waiting for the meal to be ready and when communicating with people we do not need to rely solely on the postal system. Our lives are so much easier and yet we are so much more stressed than in 1910. We have everything to live better yet we live worse. Simplifying things has led to poor eating habits and unhealthy lifestyles.
On most days I feel stressed. There are always too many things on my to do list and I easily get sidetracked by facebook or a funny video on YouTube and of course I need to keep up with my favorite TV shows....... I am sure that you are stressed as well. Life should be easier and yet it seems to be more complicated.

Unplug

Hebrews 4 talks about the promise of entering God's rest with a stark warning that many will fail to enter it. Yet we all know that verse "come to me....". Jesus, I do need your rest, I do give you my burden so why am I still stressed?

Come to me.....

Jesus will meet us where we are but to enter his rest we have to come to him, we have to be where he is at. 

Here is my challenge for you: Find him!

Is he on your to do list?

Is he on your calendar?

Is he in your email contacts?

Where is he?

Jesus was often found in solitary places (Matthew 14:13; Mark 1:35; Luke 8:29) and my guess is that this is where you are most likely to find him. 

Your action steps for this week are simple:

• look at your to do list and cross out things that you do not need to worry about
• set time aside to just be and breathe. Starts with just 5-10 minutes and increase to 1 hour or more.
• remove the guilt that you should be doing more or better. Comparing yourself to others is never good. Only strive to be more like Jesus.
• unplug. Strive to have one day a week of no electronics.
• Slow cook a meal.
• plant a flower.
• Go for a nature walk.
• Hug your children longer.
• Play a board game.

 Come to me.....