Have you ever felt like a gerbil running on a never-ending wheel? Many times life is a blur, moving at a speed that is difficult to keep up with. We find ourselves being swallowed up. I remembered sports announcer Keith Jackson’s favorite phrase, Whoa, Nellie! We need to put on the brakes, slow down. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Have you ever seen a day go by so fast when you have so much to do? The hours turn into minutes, the minutes into seconds and before you know it, the day is done. We wake up, get going and before you know it, we didn’t accomplished what we thought we could. Another summer has passed and we are well into the fall season. Soon the Holidays will be upon us. Where does the time go?

I look at the photos of my children and now grandchildren and remember the times that went by all too quickly. Now, with the life that has passed, the challenges we have faced, I find myself wondering if I spent enough time with them. As I reflect on the milestones of my life, my families, and the journey our children are on, questions come to mind. I wonder if I have taught them the right way, the way of God.

It seems to me that we get caught up in things that seem important, we think they need to get done, but in hindsight they were not the most important. I received an important piece of advice from a good friend once, “If it’s going to matter in 300 years it’s alright to worry about, if it is not don’t waste the time worrying.”

We can be guilty of placing importance on things that are not truly important. We lose our sense of priorities. We worry about things that we do not need to worry about. We consume our time trying to change or influence things we cannot. We have an agenda and when it doesn’t go the way we want it to we worry about what will happen next. Jesus asked us a question:

Matthew 6:27, Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Do you know the answer? Sometimes we think we can change the events of tomorrow if we worry about them enough. We can’t. The answer; no one can. So why do we do it? We have trouble believing that God really has it all under control. We think He needs some help. Whoa, Nellie, put on the brakes, live the life God has planned for you.

Worrying about tomorrow isn’t something that is beneficial to living. We need to take the time we have today, use it, spend time with those you love.

As Hastings reminds us in his poem The Station; the milestones we set on the path of our life are meaningless, there will always be another one, something else to accomplish. What matters is the journey and who you spend it with.

“So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot oftener, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station “the end” will come soon enough.”

God promises us that He will provide for our needs. He has it all under control. We need only to trust Him with all of our heart. Listen to the promise God shares with us through the Prophet Jeremiah,

Jeremiah 29:11-13, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

There is too much life to live to be enslaved to the rat race. Try to avoid getting so busy with things that we forget about what God wants us to do. We get so busy trying to survive we forget to take time to look around at what others are going through, what others need. God promises to provide what we need to survive. God wants us to focus on what others are going through and instead of focusing on ourselves.

If you have put that trust in yourself then you will be disappointed. Even if you accomplish everything you want you will still be missing something. It is God and God alone that can give you abundant life. Fulfillment in life comes only through Jesus Christ. No matter what we have, what we accomplish, what social standing we achieve, it will be incomplete without a saving knowledge of God through Jesus.

Don’t get consumed by the pressure to get things done. The line of the song says, “Life’s too long to live like this.” Focus on what is truly important, on what will affect eternity. Focus on the things of God. Live in such a way as to be sensitive to the leading of God. Step off the gerbil wheel and stop running so fast that life is a blur, slow down and let things happen. Put on the brakes. Watch for where God is working and join Him there. 

Psalm 23,

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Blessings,

Pastor Don