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| So Little Time |
| 03.29.04 (8:51 am) [edit] |
[i]Slow down, take a NAP, and notice God in you life.[/i]
Tenagers are busy people. When we're not at school, other things--jobs, clubs, practices, rehearsals, games, social lives--consume our time. Running to fast-food resaurants, speeding down the road in our cars, and neglecting to get a good night's sleep are ways we secure enough time to complete our tasks. Eventually, our lives become so full and fast-paced that we forget to take time to slow down and relax. Instead of controlling our time, time controls us. Lifestyles controlled by time are not fulfilling or abundant. In fact, teenagers' lifestyles are stressful, aggravating, and sleepless. (Teenagers need more sleep than adults or even elementary school children do, but our schedules keep us from getting enough sleep.)
If we cannot find time to relax and slow down, how can we find time for God? Are we truly with God when we offer only a brief prayer of thanks to God before meals or at bedtime?
For six days, God worked to create the universe. However, on the seventh day God rested. Even the creator of the universe needed to rest--and so do we. As Christians, we recognize Sunday as the day of Sabbath rest, but how many of us actually rest? I usually save up my homework to do on Sunday. However, every Sunday, no matter how much homework we have or how busy we are, we drop everything we're doing and go to youth group. This, for us, is a form of Sabbath rest.
Every day isn't the Sabbath. To avoid being stressed out for the other six days, we try to stop and do nothing for a little while each day--to relax, to be, and to notice God. I call these times NAPs (Non-Active Periods). NAPs are times to pray or to sprawl unconscious on the couch (I normally prefer the latter).
Taking a NAP is not the only way we notice God in our lives. God is present in the everyday activities we too often rush through. Try these ways to slow down and notice God:
: Cook dinner for your family. Thank God for the vegetables as you chop them. Perhaps you will be more thankful for the meal because you spent time preparing the food.
: Instead of hopping into a car to go to a friend's house, hop onto a bike or, even better, walk. Pay attention to the trees, the grass, the flowes, and the sun. You may feel more connected to God and to the earth God created.
Ultimately, we decide how we spend our time. With all of the noise and hustle and bustle, it' hard to hear God's voice. Slow down, take a NAP, and notice God in your life.
[b]John[/b] and [b]Marth Schwehn[/b], 18, are twins who live and take NAPs in Valparaiso, Indiana.
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