I used to hear my mom say, time goes by so fast it feels
like yesterday was the day you were born or something to that effect. I used to
think what are you talking about it feels like I have been 12 for forever! And
she would say just wait until you’re an adult and you will know what I am
talking about. Well now I am 21 and guess what she was right! Even while I was
in high school it felt like time flew by. Travelling with the carnival really
contributes to that fact because of the weird schedule and hours. Time is such a precious gift God has given us
and it can be wasted or used to glorify Him. It’s your choice He gives everyone
the exact same amount of it. Wasting
your time can be a joy stealer because once the day has gone and you did
nothing productive it can cause you to be disappointed and unhappy. Especially
when you deliberately ignore a task God has called you to do. However there is
another side to this. Being over productive constantly can also cause depression. I love this example with sheep:
Sheep become
downcast for many reasons, one is because they're carrying too much wool. This
is a problem of the super-productive sheep.
The life purpose of a sheep is to
produce wool, and that's something the shepherd wants from the sheep. The more
wool the sheep produces, the more enjoyment the shepherd gets out of that
sheep, and the more pleasure he has in that sheep. It pleases the shepherd that
the sheep bear much wool. You know what I think is significant about this? The
sheep that have the most wool are in the most danger of being unstable. A wrong
step and they can be knocked over while another sheep without as much wool
might be able to get right back on its feet.
We don't often talk about the
problems of those who are faithfully serving the Lord. We tend to focus in on
the sheep that are depressed, or the wayward and lost sheep. But, what about
the super-productive sheep? They're producing so much for the Lord! The Lord's
so pleased with that harvest, and yet they're in danger. Are you faithfully
serving God? Then you're in danger! You could easily fall over and not get up.
What are we to do, how do we encourage others who are in danger? HOPE IN GOD!
Your Shepherd loves you, and in His great mercy, He's coming to you – even
today – to lift you up. He'll get you back up. Maybe He will take some of that
wool off so it doesn't happen again. Don't worry! It'll grow back. To be
sheared by the Good Shepherd isn't a tragedy. It brings Him pleasure and glory
to harvest what's already been done. Some of us are walking around like we feel
naked. Can you imagine how a sheep feels right after it's been shorn? One
minute, you have all this wool, and the next minute you look like your old,
scrawny self! I bet they feel like hiding, feeling naked. (Insert from Grace
Mail)
I love the fact
that our Shepherd doesn’t want us to be overworked. He wants us to be balanced
to we can continue in our walk.
We walk by
faith, not by sight.
—2 Corinthians 5:7
The inspired
writers of Scripture did not use the phrase walk by faith in a random
way. Those three words are there for a purpose. Notice that the Bible doesn't
tell us to sprint by faith; it tells us to walk by faith. To walk
speaks of continual, regulated motion. Many believers have their bursts of
energy. For a few months, they run. Then they collapse for a while. They need
to learn what it is to walk with God.
God wants us to
be able to continue on the journey with Him all of our lives so we need to pace
ourselves so we can complete the tasks God has set before us to the best of our
ability. We can’t burn out on the first leg of it. Our Father also wants us to
spend valuable quiet time with Him. And if we are so busy sprinting we will miss
the quiet shady trees along the way where He just wants us to take a rest and
be still in His presence.
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God”
Some Carnival Fun Photos :)
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