Rush, rush, rush, hurry, hurry, hurry, check your watch, check your
schedule, and worry, worry, worry! Gulp down your coffee, wolf down your
breakfast, and head out the door! Think of the thousand things you have
to do today and forget about your joy!
If any of you see yourself
in those words then you have my sympathy. That was the way I lived for
far too many days in my life. My eyes were always on what I had to do.
My thoughts were always on not having enough time to do it. My feelings
were always set on stress, fear, and frustration. At the time I thought
I was living my life, but in truth there was very little living in all
of that activity.
Finally there came a point one day when I
decided that it didn't matter if I got everything done or not. I
realized that most of those things I had been striving to do didn't
add one moment of happiness to my life. Instead they ate up my days and
squeezed out moments I could have spent loving others. They left no time
for prayer, no time for appreciation, no time for simple pleasures or
heartfelt joys. It was then that I ripped up my schedule and tossed it
in the trash.
I remember that first day without it. I enjoyed my
breakfast for the first time in months. I actually noticed the birds
flying across the sky. I stopped my car, got out, and walked over to a
Cherry tree to smell the blossoms on it. Instead of rushing my children
home from school I took them to the park and let them run and play. I
stayed outside longer than usual when I walked my dogs in the evening. I
watched the sunset and let the warm Spring breeze kiss my face. I
thanked God for my life, felt love in my heart, and had more joy that
day than I could ever remember.
And the funny thing was I still
got everything done that I needed to do.
Life isn't some endless
list of chores. Life is instead a chance to learn, grow, and love. Take
the time to love then. Take the time to sing, smile, and have joy. Take
the time to taste your meals, smell the flowers, and watch the sunrise
in the morning. Take the time to hug your children, laugh with your
friends, and help others in need. Take the time to do a good deed and
share a kind word. Take the time to pray to God, to invite His love into
your soul, and to share it with everyone around you. Take the time to
become the best possible you, you can be. The wonderful writer and
educator Leo Buscaglia once said: "Life is God's gift to you. How you
live it is your gift to God." Take the time to live it well.
Joseph J. Mazzella
Take the Time
Today's Bible Verse:
Phil 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the
surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I
have lost all things.
Take the Time
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