- Comment
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Random Thoughts, Lessons from Life & God's Word
RANDOM THOUGHT: Committed or Controlled?
When your planner is full of all kinds of things that we have to be at from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm is this a sign of someone that is committed or controlled?
What ever happened to spontaneity? Do we even know what that word means anymore??
Spontaneity = (according to Dictonary.com)
1. the state, quality, or fact of being spontaneous.
2. spontaneous activity.
3. spontaneities, spontaneous impulses, movements, or actions.
Our lives need to have room for spontaneity. If our planners are so full and scheduled then there are many things we are missing out on in life.
First is actual rest.
When our schedule is so full we do not get adequate rest that our bodies need. God created our bodies to need rest. If we do not get adequate rest we will become weak, moody, sluggish, unable to think clearly, and just down right exhausted. If you get to the point of pure exhaustion it can be very dangerous, physically, mentally and spiritually. Rest is when our bodies are re-energized.
Second, we miss out on new opportunities.
If our schedule is so booked, we will miss out on a lot that life has to offer. That surprise date that your special someone would have planned. We will miss out on a friend getting tickets to that event we always wanted to go to, but they could not ask us to go because we are so busy. What about the times that we are sitting around the dinner table enjoying a conversation with our family; but this never happens, because we are so busy that we never make it to the dinner table. When our schedule is planned out to the last detail of every hour, this is where we lose those missed opportunities.
Third, we miss out on the spontaneity of God.
I know I got some of your attention now. What? God is spontaneous? Yes He is! When we are so busy a lot of times we do not hear what God is speaking to us. He may want us to stop by the river to share a few things with us, but we are so busy we never hear His voice. He may ask us to stop by someone’s house just to visit with them to show that they matter. What about the times when the Lord says, “Go buy that man’s cup of coffee.” Or stop and pick up this or that for so and so. Go tell the lady she looks beautiful in that color. These are times that God is spontaneous with us. The rewards can be just incredible, but we miss all these opportunities because our schedule is too committed.
For those of us that say, Hey I totally understand and agree people should not allow work or extra curriculum to control our lives. Let me just say that we can be over committed and controlled by an organization as well. Even the church. Sorry if I got someone’s tail feathers ruffled. Let me just say that I am totally committed to my local church and am involved in ministry. But, I don’t have to be there every time the doors are open. I have known some people that are controlled by the church schedule as much as someone that is controlled by a work schedule. Our lives need to have balance. If we are so committed or controlled by something – – – we will lose the time for, a personal relationship with God, time for ourselves to rest and be refreshed, much less time for our spouse, children or friends.
How do we know if our life is out of balance? Well, are we able to have someone over for dinner at the last minute, ever? Or do we have to plan it weeks or months in advance? Are we able to wake up on a morning and decide what we are going to do that day, or do we have every day scheduled and it is inflexible to change? What would happen if someone called us up and asked us or our family over for dinner this week? Would we be able to go? (Now I know that there are times that we have a commitment that we can’t break and that is not what I am referring to.)
Life needs to have balance. God first, time for self-second, spouse third and family & friends fourth and EVERYTHING else comes after that. Why do I put it in this order?
God first ~ because we were created to fellowship with God first and for most, we were created to be worshipers of God.
Second ~ time for ourselves, if we don’t have time for ourselves we are not very nice to be around.
Third ~ your Spouse (if you are married), because this should be your very best friend in the whole world! This is the person you chose to spend the rest of your life with, the person you wanted to share everything with.
Fourth ~ family and friends. We were created for relationship. We were not created to be alone. We need other people in our lives.
Fifth ~ everything else. Do not put the “everything else” above any of the first four. Because the first four are really what life is all about anyway!
So do you have a committed life or a controlled life? Or is your life full of commitments that are controlling you? For me I want a spontaneously, committed life that is controlled by God.
Everyday Simple Truths 
I really liked your point about the spontaneity of God. I had never thought about it that way before. You are right, he is spontaneous and it’s so easy to miss out on it if you’re too busy, or even just too focused on your own world.