Work, Work, Work

"Martin Luther was once asked what his plans for the day were and he answered, 'Work, work, from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first 3 hours in prayer.'" ~ E.M. Bounds

I have been pondering on the difference between a person of "doing" and a person of "being". Is there such a thing as an unhurried life or an organized heart?
So often, my day begins in a hurry. Having a four year full time is an easy excuse. Renovating a new house consumes a lot of my time. Going to school full time is hectic. Owning and operating two businesses requires a lot of attention. The excuses are endless. My life is not a great example of the unhurried life. The greatest struggle I have is that when I do not slow down and create a life of order, my energy level nosedives very quickly. My life becomes an ordinary existence, trying to keep up with my schedule rather than enjoying my life. Budgeting my time in advance for the important things is needed to prevent me from being overwhelmed by the urgent things that come.
Oh, but how do I accomplish that?

All there...

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt of any situation you believe to be the will of God." ~ Jim Elliot

So often I am guilty of falling into the trap of running after my "to do" list... I get to the end of the day and find that my list only got longer.

In the process of chasing my list, I missed all the opportunities that the day presented to me: reading a book to my daughter, laughing at the antics of a friend, taking a phone call from my mom because "I didn't have time", cooking a meal and sitting down to eat with my husband, lounging in my comfy chair for 5 minutes after running errands all afternoon.

I missed the little things that make life precious in the pursuit of accomplishing the mundane.

Joy

He who binds himself to joy,
Does the winged life destroy.
But he who kisses joy as it flies,
Lives in eternity's sunrise.
-William Blake

This one is sometimes hard to follow. Our natural tendancy is to hold on to the things we don't want to give away. Yet, the tighter we grip it, the less we can truly hold on.