Have you ever been so frazzled that you felt like a rag doll pulled in a million directions?
Driving to my first of two appointments last Monday, (on opposite sides of town) I tired to enjoy the silence and beauty of the drive. I never have the radio on, and very rarely listen to my CDs. Behind the wheel is my quiet time, my reflection time, my alone, me time.
But on this particular day I couldn’t slow down enough to enjoy my special time. The squirrel in my head darted around with stressful reminders of all that I had to do.
Besides my two appointments (one kept waiting me for 45 minutes before I could even get in), my “to do” list included writing another chapter in my new book, working on three webinars whose modules had been stacking up in my emails, publishing my blog post for the week, and don’t forget the daily social media obligations that I’ve taken on. All the while I worried about fitting in my appointment with my “time management” coach! Ouch…..
With all this chatter of the drunken monkey sitting on my shoulder I desperately pushed the button on my radio to see if I could find some soothing classical music. Immediately this rich warm voice of Josh Groban belted, “…all is calm…all is bright.” What?
My angels sent me a message (you know how I always look for “heavenly influence”). The Christmas CD stashed away in the case, came on at the perfect time with the perfect message. Silent Night… All is calm, all is bright”!
Thinking of THAT night, I mused about how could anything be calm or bright? Here Mary was pregnant not knowing who the father may be, the young couple was in a foreign country and to make matters worse had no hotel reservations….hmmm….not so calm and the future looked dim.
But what DID make that night calm and bright? What does bring peace in the midst of our chaos? Christmas is the one time of year when time seems to stop, daily routines are put on hold, and a holiday mood prevails.
I believe that the birth of Jesus did bring us the calm, the peace, the bright, and the hope. He showed us just how to interpret this life. He led by example to whatever or whoever needed healing.
Then I remembered the Bible story of when Jesus went to dinner at the home of the two sisters, Mary and Martha. As I recall (I really wasn’t there, but….) Mary, the more spiritual, sat at Jesus’s feet taking in all in. Martha busied herself in the kitchen. Then Jesus kind of rebuked Martha, saying that she was too busy about many things, and Mary had chosen the better path. (Practical me would have asked Jesus, just who was going to cook dinner? Good thing I wasn’t there)
Bingo…another message….busy about many of the things pulling me away from what is really important.
We’ve all heard the saying, “Let go, let God”. We need to reflect on these words and release all the clutter, the to dos, and stresses that pull us away from the one thing that is important and that is fulfilling the agenda of our souls.
We may need to let go of certain beliefs that this is the way it SHOULD be. Let go of the unreal expectations you have for yourself. Let go of people who do not support or nourish you, and let go of anything that does make you happy.
We need to enjoy each precious moment knowing that God has our “backside” and everything will get done in good time, in God’s time.
“…all is calm, all is bright”. Yes, it is the best time of the year. Sing, rejoice, and enjoy the “present”.
How do you stay focused on the really important things when you feel bombarded?
