Deacon Tom Writes,
“First Things First!”
We have so many demands upon our time that we can hardly
keep track of them. Fortunately, we have the technology to remind us where we
have to be and when we have to be there. We have electronic calendars, email
reminders and cell phones, I-pads and
I-pods. We leave ourselves voice mail messages, stick post-its
on the refrigerator. All this busyness and the technology to keep up with it is
a part of the great reality in which we live, but it comes at a price. And the
price that we pay seems increasingly that we crowd so many other important
things out of our lives, like God! …. Really, who has time for God given our
demanding schedules?
Working God into our daily lives has become a challenge for
us today, but it hasn’t always been that way. From early Jewish scripture comes
our first reading in which we hear the famous Jewish prayer, the “shema” which
means “hear”.
“Hear, O Israel! The
Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart, and with all you soul, and with all your strength. Take to
heart these words which I enjoin on you today”
These words that God spoke through Moses were a simple
message intended to help the people find their happiness in this world by
cooperating with God’s plan. Keep it simple; put first things first God says;
live according to my plan; love me above all else…… with every fiber of your
being.
Today we are busy. We are busier today than yesterday, and
it doesn’t stop. Just ask someone you know who’s retired! “We don’t have time”,
they complain. “We don’t know how we got things done when we were working”
you’ll also hear.
The challenge we face today is consciously putting God first
in our lives. It’s a matter of practice…of building the habit of inviting God
into all the activities of our day, into all that busyness that so often
overwhelms us. Invite God to be with us during our evaluation at work. Invite
God to be with us when we’re running the kids or grandkids to soccer or piano
lessons; invite God to join us in the Dentist’s chair or when we’re getting the
oil changed. All the activities of our day are opportunities to draw close to
God and to show him that we are mindful that His desire is to be a part of the
lives of those who love Him. Inviting God into all our daily chores will help
us get them all done...by the Grace of God
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment