Pastor's Article

Wow. September is here and summer is over. Time to get back into the groove of things I guess. Kids are in school, summer vacation is over and it is time to once again find a regular schedule.

I’m a pretty schedule oriented person. In the past, I have taken some grief from that fact. Some don’t like to be scheduled (or don’t believe they are). Yet, it seems that in some respects we all are schedule oriented. After all, most of us have to get up at a certain time in order to go to work, or go to bed by a certain time to feel rested the next morning. We all have appointments to get to, or weekly activities to attend. Even those who are retired meet with friends, go to meetings and still have a schedule. Some of us are scheduled to exhaustion.

It’s good to look at your schedule every once and a while. Fall is that time for me. When the kids head back to school and vacations are basically over with, it seems like a good time to reassess my schedule. It is a good time to see what type of person my schedule is making me.
A few years back I did this and realized that I wanted to spend more time with God. My life had gotten out of control and I found my life was centered around and driven by my activities. I decided it was not the way I wanted to live. I also realized my schedule was not helping me to be the person I wanted to be. I knew it was time for a change.

I decided if I was going to allow God to be the center of my life, or even a part of it, then it was a good idea to spend some time with God through prayer and meditating on Scripture. I thought that if I could schedule some time (there’s that word again) each day, my life would be much different. I’ve found that is the case.

I encourage you to take time to look at your schedule. Are you becoming the person you desire to be? Is your life balanced between work and play, activity and prayer, action and rest? Do you find your life characterized by peace or stress?

If you are not becoming the person you yearn to be, one place to start is looking at your schedule. Schedule some time in for God. Spend some time in nature. Turn off the TV and go for a walk…or bike ride….or sit outside and listen to God’s creation. Find ways to cultivate balance in your life, even if it means you have to schedule it in. If you don’t, you will never find the peace and fulfillment you desire.
Maybe it is time for you to relook at your schedule. There’s no better time than today.

Peace

Dave.