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Timeless

Aren't we all?

This year I committed to being a leader of a small group in the Confirmation Program H2H. I should get involved because I have children of that age who need adults to get involved with their confirmation training. The experience has stretched me as I mentally gear up for the fortnightly Friday night events. Friday nights used to be a wind down, a contemplate the week and reconnect with family over tea. Often take-away, red wine and a family movie were involved. By contrast, an H2H session is a noisy, lively, segment packed, fun time of eating quickly and exploring an aspect of Luther's catechism from as many different learning avenues as possible — songs (with actions), skits, reading out loud, quizzing, short movie clips, jumping up and down... not exactly what I am used to now.

The common feeling at the end of pondering all I am involved in is quite often tiredness: "So much to do, so little time". Another feeling is guilt: I didn't get this finished. Or worse, I didn't even get started. I am often feeling beaten by the 'shoulds'.

Umbrella dance
'Life isnt about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.'
Years ago I decided that the word should needed to be replaced by the word could — preferably in the dictionary so we could all benefit. If I say to myself I should do 'xyz', I find a rebellious self answering with a more self-pleasing alternative. When I say I could do 'xyz' the result is more likely to be that the work gets done, and I get closer to having some 'me' time — and without that lurking guilty feeling due to the neglected 'should do' items. With rebellion out of the way, I usually find an extra measure of blessing comes from having been involved in something that is beyond just me. God smiles, the group or person I helped smiles, and I smile. If I simply indulge in doing what pleases only me, eventually I end up feeling guilty anyway. It is not God's will that we all live a self-indulgent existence.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven

Ecclesiastes 3:1

God has given us all the time we need to accomplish all we need to do. We can relax knowing there is enough time. We do need time just for ourselves but, when we look hard at our choices of what we want to do with that time, we need to evaluate the choices through God's eyes. So I could (can) be involved in H2H and still have the other Friday evenings to spend my own way. Good advice is given to us through the book of Ecclesiastes (where a lot of human activity is described as 'meaningless under the sun').

Karen Harms

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Last Updated ( Monday, 04 August 2008 )
 
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