When Did This Life Become a Job?

I have always had a hard time with recognizing when to stop. I wake up in the morning and just start moving. I look at my watch and see that time seems to be going by much faster than I want it to. I tell myself that I have to slow down, take a break, and breathe for a second.

The problem is that...I can't.

Correct that...I don't want to.

There is a life that needs to be lived! There are people that need to be met, stories that need to be told, hands to shake, and meals to eat. I wake up and head out to encounter a world that is just waiting for me to jump in headfirst. I swing by my favorite coffee shop, grab some energy, and get down to the business of living. I wave to the same jogger, smile at the three year olds coming to school, pop open the computer and pour out my inner thoughts so that you might enter them into yours. I answer the phone and listen to the anguish of a parent. I cry with the broken hearted and celebrate with the excited. I pray with the sick and talk to the dying. I accomplish deadlines, print out fliers, lick the envelopes, answer the emails, and order the lesson plans.

I live.

The problem is that I can't help but feel as if something is missing.

Do you know what I'm talking about?

We get up each morning, put our faces on, and head out into the world. We have responsibilities and people that count on us. There are children that need to be fed, spouses that need to be supported, friends that need help, and parents that need guidance. We fly frantically through our lives trying to keep all of the balls up in the air...fearful that if one hits the floor...they all will. We stare at our reflections in the mirror and wonder where the fire went. We can't figure out why we feel empty when we have so much.

When did this life become a job? When did it cease being fun? When did the most important part of my day become the opening of a coffee cup?

I don't have an answer.

Good thing He does.

When you go to bed tonight I want all of you to try something. Find a quiet spot, turn off all the lights, and......listen.

What you will hear is the sound of silence and it is there where you will find God. It is in moments of calm that the voice of our Father is the most clear. Start a conversation and allow it to go where it needs to. Ask those questions that need to be answered, cry the tears that need to fall, smile at the memories that arrive, and allow Him to hold you for a couple of minutes.

He gave this life to us and when we lose sight of the answers it is back to Him we need to go. He is always available and the warmth of His embrace will heal many a wound. There are no boundaries to His love and it doesn't matter how old or young you are, we are all children in His eyes.

Enjoy the silence, revel in the love, and allow the feeling of peace to come over you. This life is crazy but when God is with us it becomes a manageable entity. This conversation is on going and the more we listen...the calmer we get. Figure out where God is sending you and the clarity that you are looking for will reveal itself.

Just listen.

Now go live.