So they hurried off
and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby,
who was lying in the manger. Luke 2:16
Hurry. It seems that's all we do lately. And so we are encouraged to slow down, be still. I said so myself just a few weeks ago. Shhhh the activity!
And yet there is a time to hurry-
~Zacchaeus, filled with curiosity, hurried ahead to climb a tree so he could see Jesus.
~The father, filled with compassion, ran to welcome his prodigal home.
~Mary and the women, filled with confusion, ran to the disciples - who ran to the empty tomb.
~Philip, filled with the Spirit, ran to the chariot to share the Word with the Ethiopian.
And the shepherds, filled with wonder after their heavenly host encounter, hurried to Bethlehem, ran to see Jesus.
When should we hurry?
~When it is running to Jesus!
~When it is hurrying to show compassion.
~When it is eagerly sharing the Word.
After they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.
Then they returned [to their neighborhood, their work, their environment] glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Solomon said, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." I'm going to boldly add to his list in Eccl. 3:1-8:
There is a time to hurry and a time to be still.
Oh that we would know the difference!
Do you (like me) ever confuse when to be busy and when to be still?
What do you do about it?
4 comments:
love it. A good lesson to all. Sometimes rushing around for the holidays is like the phrase running around like a chicken without its head, something we are all guilty of.
I was in a whole foods parking lot last week when I had to run to my trunk to get my reusable shopping bags and another shopper asked if I would like her cart. I thanked her and rushed towards the store and then I heard her exclaim, You left your keys in your trunk. Not only were the keys in the trunk but I left the trunk open. What was I thinking?
Another friend was baking cookies and had to throw out the pan and cookies because he forgot the flour!
Are we chickens? Where are our heads sometimes?
Maria - So funny, so true! I had an experience where I left my keys in the front door. Then when I got home, I couldn't find them anywhere until I got to the door, and there - wide open - inviting everyone to help themselves - were my keys in the lock.
And AJ killed a chicken in Uganda this summer by cutting its head off. The saying is true! It runs helter-skelter with no head. Ugh!
Hi Susan,
A beautiful post and perfectly timed. I wrote a post on hurrying this past Sunday! Last week, I got into a car that wasn't mine when I left a coffee shop! I did not realize it until I was trying to figure out when I had put a mistletoe air freshener on the rear view mirror. I realized I hadn't and hopped out! Looking forward to reading more, just found you today! In His Grace, Dawn
Hi Dawn,
So nice to "meet" you! That's a funny, yet all to familiar story ;D
Glad we connected,
Susan
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