Are You Running in Circles?
For the last summer getaway of the season, my family and I enjoyed a couple of days at a lake resort in Hayward. While the family was fishing, I took some precious time to sit alone on the dock and just breathe in the beauty of God’s creation. My eyes were quickly drawn to the hundreds of bugs flitting about on the water’s surface. Their dance was mesmerizing as they spun round and round in small circles, never ceasing to move, but also never really getting anywhere. They were busy, but they didn’t appear to be accomplishing much of anything. Except a few of them…. Every once in a while a lone bug would shoot forward from the crowd with purpose, power, and a clear direction. On those rare occasions, the speed and thrust with which the bug shot forward left a tremendous ripple on the water’s surface – amazingly large in its reach given how small the bugs were. As I watched, I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s how we look from God’s perspective – a bunch of people with good intentions, but no direction. We busy ourselves with a million activities – running in circles, running ourselves ragged, yet never really getting anywhere or accomplishing anything.
I’m beginning to learn the secret to finding peace in this crazy world – What if we decide to stop running in circles trying to live up to the expectations and pressures of this broken world and decide instead to move with the same purpose, power, and clear direction that those few little bugs exhibited amid the swirling chaos? And what if we were to see the same huge ripples of impact on others when we start DOING less and start LOVING more? I mean loving our families enough to clear out 50% of the activities that jam up our calendars and prevent us from having a meal with our children or a devotional time with our family or a conversation with our spouse or a prayer time with God. I mean loving our kids enough to say “no” to activities and jobs that have them chronically sleep-deprived and stressed out trying to keep too many balls in the air. I mean loving ourselves enough to decide that every minute of our time will be spent in a way that honors God rather than impresses other people. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death.” I’m tired of “dying” to fit into this out-of-control culture… I’m finally learning to slow down and live for what really matters. If you quiet yourself long enough, you’ll hear God leading you to the same place of peace. What would happen if you let it all go and followed Him there?
Sharlene Prinsen 