I woke a little earlier than normal this morning. 4’ish. I was immediately engaged with thinking about the busy day and life, which seems to be just ahead. Putting out fires, stoking others, and feeling like I’m running from one pile of duties to the next.
Now. I’m not scrambling nor scraping through the piles trying to fix every problem, but when I glance over my shoulder, I see life as a series of piles of clutter. A stack here, load there, something to finish over there, and look, there’s something new just waiting to start.
Sometimes I feel like a juggler! You know, trying to keep all the balls in the air and the plates spinning on the end of sticks. Running here, now there, no, back over here… There are times when everything is in motion, and there’s no space for a slowdown. Other times I’m running from one pile to another, doing what I do, wherever I’m at. Sometimes scrambling, other times ambling.
Then, there are times you feel
like tossing your hands in the air
and
simply walking away.
Yep. Been there. Way too many times.
But that’s not me. Never has been. Nor do I see that it ever will be. Frustrations may get high, energy levels low, and indecision creeps around every pile, but I’m not a quitter. Nor do I feel so overwhelmed that I want to boot the pile to the trash heap!
How Do You Handle Your Piles of Life?
Yesterday, and I’ve been doing this for several years, I tackled my jumbled office. When you have no system of organization, then you find piles of responsibility sitting in the corner. Here. There. Everywhere. This is probably a simple problem to fix, one of which is unloading some responsibilities and corralling some desires.
I realize I find some comfort in piles.
Accumulation is not the sign of a sick mind, rather, totally empty desks are.
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind,
of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”
~Albert Einstein
As I heard from someone who has a lot more than I am going on, treat your life like a single bookshelf, keep on it only what’s current for your world, and get rid of the remainder. “Sometimes you have to toss something that is no longer profitable or is holding you back.”
So. I created a shortlist of command items.
- Get Organized and prioritize your life! You know, take the bull by the horns, tighten up the reins, put the pedal to the metal, and push through to order!
- Take Control! Don’t let the piles intimidate you!
- Be Bold! Toss, reorder, and streamline!
- Quit Chasing Pretty Baubles! Not everything makes sense to be distracted by! Get your sensory organs under control!
Here’s My Thought Today
We can be so overwhelmed by all the piles of life. Consider this, how many times do you take work with you everywhere you go. Since I am a pastor, I see this all the time. My calling is with me. Everywhere, and all the time. As I deal with this issue, then that, and move from here to there, I realize the piles are piling up! Replicating! Enlarging!
When I go home, I want my downtime to be “me” time, but that only happens if I disconnect. The problem? We are so interconnected to all of life that we can no longer getaway! I’ve dealt with piles of life even when wandering through Israel on vacation, writing an email response from 39,000 feet, flying along at 500 mph. Even when having quiet family moments, I’ve had to hang quilts over the windows and pretend we’re not home, just so no one driving by will think it’s okay to “pop-in.” (that was back in Alaska… Today, I live far enough away, buried in the country!
What do you do? Whip that little list out I mentioned above, and take control! Be in charge, and do not let those piles smother you!
Even my mind is full of piles! Yep! There’s a lot of scurrying along from stack to pile to a jumbled mess! Again. That list works! Use it!
David says it like this, and from this, I get huge comfort!
When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path…”
(Psalms 142:3, NKJV)
If you will think about it like this.
God does not necessarily remove our piles of clutter. Rather, he helps us wind our way through challenging times. David was probably the most overwhelmed person in all of Israel. Right? No. Not necessarily. It’s simple. We have his writings, and no one else’s from similar times. Hence, we know more about God’s relationship with him.
Surrounding him were piles of life. Some he created. Others were simply the offspring of life. But he reached old age, handed the reins off to Solomon, and moved off the scene of life. But not before giving Solomon wise words to move forward.
Now the days of David drew near that he should die,
and he charged Solomon his son, saying:
“I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.
And keep the charge of the LORD your God:
to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses,
that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;
that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying,
‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’
He said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
(1 Kings 2:1-4 NKJV)
Did you notice?
David left instructions on how to move forward with success! But what you must also read are the next few verses not listed above, where David passes on some instructions for Solomon to finish some of his unfinished items.
Some things we finish, others we get to pass along, and then some things get left for the next generation to handle. This is life. You win some, lose some, and some piles are passed along.
But you do get to celebrate victory over a life well lived! This is my hope. That day will come when there will be no more worries or scrambling from hither to yon. A page in the book gets turned, the chapter finished, and a new start begins.
Life's Cluttered Piles: The day will come when all your piles of cluttered living will end up being passed along to someone else to handle. Have you made good choices? Time will tell. Click To TweetOf Course, A Song
This reminds me of an old song, “Just A Little While“…
Soon this life will all be over, And our pilgrimage will end
Soon we’ll take our heavenly journey, Yeah, and be at home with friends again
Heaven’s gates are standing open, Waiting for our entrance there
Some sweet day we’re going over, And all the beauties there to share
Just a little while to stay here, Just a little while to wait,
Just a little while to labor, In the path that’s always straight
