An Overflowing Jar = An Overwhelmed Life

Joggers in Central Park, Manhattan, New York
By Amanda Hall Courtesy of Allposters.com

“The changing fabric of the world outside of us is what greatly impacts our sense of ourselves and of life. It changes how we think and what we want. The world we experience outside of ourselves, in fact is what makes some ideas seem plausible and others seem implausible.”
~ Dave. F. Wells in Courage to be Protestant

Opportunities to use your talents, time, and treasure seem limitless. And yet, we all have limits to what we can do, have time for, and invest in. The fall season bombards families with opportunities to get their kids involved in sports, drama, music, etc. The requests for parents to volunteer their services in helping to makes these extracurricular activities happen are also a part of the equation. Add to that the church programs and ministry opportunities and the overwhelmed feeling is complete.

Over the years Matt and I attempt to enter the start of a new school year with a set of priorities. It is like emptying the proverbial jar of life and purposefully putting in those activities representing rocks that are most important first. The size of the stone represents how much time, energy, and money those things require. The jar cannot get any bigger. I’m feeling the tension of that at the end of September. I believe I let in bigger stones (activities or commitments) that I thought were smaller. Pea gravel can shake itself down into crevices between larger stones, so I think these "small" activities will fit. But in reality, these activities or commitments are larger than I expect and they don’t fit.

I’m emptying the jar today and re-assigning priorities and re-assessing their size. This inevitably means some stones won’t fit and will need to be removed. Learning to say no to some very good things is difficult to do. However, I can’t live at warp speed and still thrive in those things God has called me to do, so it must be done.

The world outside of me seems to say I should be doing more. My kids should be able to do everything they are interested in. Ministry vacancies should be filled by me and mine if we have the talent or ability to do so. However, I’ve always observed the Western world's pace is too fast. Inside our churches it is no different. Lots of good programs and many opportunities to serve. If there is white space on the calendar I feel pressure to fill it.

But what if I change the environment for a little while? According to Wells, “the world we experience outside of ourselves is what makes some ideas seem plausible and others seem implausible.” So maybe doing less makes me feel guilty precisely because so many people around me are so busy. But what if I try to slow down in the midst of a busy world? Perhaps then the idea that my significance does not depend on what I do will be plausible.

So at the end of October I’m going on a solitary retreat to the Trappist Abbey. In solitude and silence I expect to find the plausible idea that I can rest in doing a few things well and be okay in God’s eyes. I have to change my outside experience for a little while to own this perspective.

Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. When a man's folly bring his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.
Proverbs 19:2-3

ESV Study Note: "Verse 2 refers to an impulsive person who unwisely acts before thinking or planning the right way. He has a 'desire' to get somewhere but he does not have sufficient knowledge to reach his goal."

I'm going to get away to reflect on the goal of being what God intends me to be in this season of life and adjust the necessary priorities if I find they are out of whack.