Driven

I've been thinking about what drives us to do all the things that we do. Maybe this is where the disclaimer goes: I am talking about myself. In talking about myself, I know that I will hit a few of you with what I say too. Why do we have to have our schedules so full? I feel like at times I'm running at breakneck speed, and I don't really know where I'm going, so why would I be going so fast to get to who knows where? Am I speaking to anyone else? I have made the decision to be certified in spiritual formation, and that in itself requires a lot of slowing down. So if I'm ever going to get to the point where I can sit with people and do spiritual direction, I have to be able to be comfortable with not having my schedule jam-packed with stuff—most of which is good stuff but not the best stuff.

I am doing two Bible studies that will be done the second week of November, and if I replace them, it will be with one study. I am praying about whether or not to stay in choir. While it's great fun, they don't need me in there like they need me in handbells. On top of that, we are only singing twice a month, and practicing every week gets old. I would much rather be at home with Alex and the herd. This might free me up to pull out my sax and play some on it. I might even look at lessons. See? There I go, replacing one thing with two! See how we are? I think as humans, we find it uncomfortable to not be busy, even when we gripe about how busy we are. When we stay busy, we don't have our ears tuned to hear what might be said to us. 

We need to learn how to be content with doing less and experiencing more. Haven't you taken the time to watch a sun set? Or are you like Clark Griswold when he took his family to the Grand Canyon, and they stood there for 3.2 seconds and enjoyed the view and off they went? When we take the time to do less, there is time to experiencing more. Another word for experience is adventure, so that means we could have more adventure time. When was the last time you took the time to do less and adventure more? This can't be done without making choices, some of which will be difficult to do and probably misunderstood by others. Do we want to be driven people or adventure-directed people? Look at Jesus. He is the Good Shepherd, and shepherds don't drive sheep; they guide sheep. So if we're feeling driven, maybe Jesus isn't the one that's doing the driving.