Tripping Over Typeset

This expressway is exhausting.

Overflowing schedules of events and activities run into more appointments and meetings.  Life becomes an expressway of bumper to bumper, life-packed, overcrowded, backed-up traffic jam.  The days fill up and empty me out.  Night comes and my head hits the pillow with a thud.

Dropping off one kid to pick up another…running from one event to the next…the going to and coming from…it’s all a jumble in this family of six.  I run empty when it’s dependent on me.  I’m not strong enough, smart enough or resilient enough to maneuver this expressway on my own.

I was recently sitting with other mothers and we were all chit-chatting back and forth about our lives and schedules.  Some were sharing how they are moving way too fast but not really sure how to slow down.  Their days are filled with packing up the kids in the morning and not completely exiting the vehicle until after dark.  Not every day is driven that hard, but enough are traveling at a high rate of speed and running merely on fumes and now are emptied out.

When I run on fumes, I’m emptied out.  Without refueling and tuning up, I sputter and spit nasty exhaust at traffic on the road.

My sanity is time off the expressway….Saying “no” to the traffic jam of appointments…Exiting the expressway and entering rest.

There are times I need a rest area and scenic view respite.  I need some time…

• Time to slow down, sleep in and sip coffee.
• Time off this expressway

We all have our expressways.  Our schedules and agendas that drive us.

The key to maneuvering this life well is refueling in His Presence.

The fuel for this life is Him.

At times, we get locked into the mindset that time in His Word equates an hour of quiet moments, absorbing Truth, journaling, and diligently praying for all those who we know have needs…It’s a lovely dream but not always reality.  As much as we might want an hour’s worth of quiet devotion, life happens…people pull for our attention, kids wake throughout the night and throw off our daytime hours…our Life of Real Living interrupts our Dream of Quiet Devotion and we are faced with a choice:

We can live frustrated or we can live fueled.

To live fueled we must recognize we have a limited-size gas tank.

We are finite beings; subject to limitations and only able to hold so much.  So when we overfill our lives with stuff that doesn’t feed our souls, we find ourselves running on empty quite often.

We may not have time for an hour of quiet time, but in the time we do have, we can refuel.

• Refuel with praise & worship music in the car
• Scroll and read from a Bible app/devotional while waiting for an appointment
• Count gifts in our going ~ Find reasons to give thanks

When we feel empty, He is able to fill our tanks from His abundance.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  ~ Romans 15:13 (NIV)

Join the conversation and share with us: How do you exit the expressway and refuel?