HAVE
SOMEONE READ: “The Mason Jar”Quality of Life Series
Busyness VS Balance
11/18/03
LEADER: Are you juggling life?
· Are all your balls sometimes in the air at once and you don’t know when or where they’re gonna land.
· Is your life one of balance or is it always crazy and you find yourself wondering where on earth you’re gonna get the time to get it all done.
· Does it ever feel like you’re losing your marbles?
· Are there areas of your life that are neglected.
· Or are you perfect!
Chuck Swindoll’s The Finishing Touch
From JOY ALONG THE WAY by Steve Goodier
http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon3b/room_in_the_bank.htm
LEADER READ: HOW MUCH OF YOUR LIFE IS SPENT WORKING?
FROM: http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ds/q0708/point3.html
· If you figure an average of 8 hours a day, that's one third of your day. (Most folks work more.)
· If you sleep 8 hours, then work takes up half the hours you're awake.
· And if you consider commuting time, you need to tack on another hour or so each day. Then how about your preparation time and the "unwinding" afterward?
· It's even more when you include the time away from work that you spend thinking about it.
· If you're a homemaker or a single parent, it may seem as if your entire day is spent on the job.
· When it's all added up, for many of us our work is our life—judging by the time and attention we devote to it.
IS THAT GOOD OR BAD?
· The answer to that depends on our needs and our attitude.
· The real issue is not the hours we put in but the reasons for our actions and the kind of people we are on the job.
· AND how responsible we are in other areas of our life.
· AND are we busy being busy or are we accomplishing much with our time.
HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #1
“YOU WILL BREAK THE BOW
IF YOU KEEP IT ALWAYS BENT”
Old Greek Motto
Chuck Swindoll The Tale of the Tardy Ox Cart p. 621
“It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement. - Mabel Newcomber”
HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #3
FROM: http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_busyness.html
“To fill the hour -- that is happiness.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
LEADER: But the important thing is with what do we fill the hour!
What areas of your life do you feel needs more of your time (Ask around the table) IE: personal, relationships, spiritual, community
HAVE SOMEONE READ: Ecclesiastes 3:9-13
What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor--it is the gift of God.
LEADER: We need to see the value that God places on our work, and we also need to keep life in balance. We must see work as only one of many important parts of our lives. Don't overdo it nor ignore it. Work is necessary to survival and essential to living out the way God designed us. Work gives us an avenue to fulfill our life's purpose of loving God and loving others as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40).
HAVE SOMEONE READ: Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,
HAVE SOMEONE READ: Proverbs 10:4-5
Poor is he who works
with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers
in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.
LEADER: If we are getting too wrapped up in our work, we may be forgetting that ultimately it is the Lord who supplies our needs, not our own efforts.
HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
HAVE SOMEONE READ: Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
HAVE SOMEONE READ: Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established.
LEADER READ: Today in the Word 8/17/2000 EXCERPT
FROM: http://www.moody.edu/st/tiw/tdw/devotional.cfm?dy=17&mn=08&yr=2000
What is the most satisfying part of your work? Have you ever thought of making it the focus of your praise for a day?
Try this experiment. The next time you’re at work, offer God a brief prayer of thanksgiving when you come to that part of your job that gives you satisfaction and that you particularly enjoy. If it’s something you do repeatedly during the day, try thanking God one time for your ability to do the work, the next time for the opportunity, then for the results of the work, and so on.
FROM: http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon1a/psalm23.htm
The Lord is my pace setter, I shall not rush.
He makes me to stop and rest for quiet intervals.
He provides me with images of stillness, which restores my serenity.
He leads me in ways of efficiency, through calmness of mind.
And His guidance is my peace.
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day
I will not fret, for His presence is here.
His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity
By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquility.
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hour,
For I shall walk in the pace of the Lord and dwell in His house forever.
HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Most of Our Time” Our Daily Bread 8/19/95 exerpt
We can make the most of our time, yet ignore eternity. We can let the passing dominate the permanent. And we can do it all on a very tight schedule. --HWR
WITHOUT A VIEW OF ETERNITY,
WE CANNOT KNOW THE REAL VALUE OF TIME.
Thus says the Lord: . . . "I will not forget you. --Isaiah 49:8,15
Some days we find ourselves intensely absorbed in busyness. Our attention must be riveted on the details of our work if we are to do it well.
Sometimes the hours can slip by without even a momentary thought of God. When that happens, it's comforting to know that our heavenly Father has not been too busy to think about us.
We can probably identify with the prayer offered by Sir Jacob Astley before the battle of Edgehill on October 23, 1642: "O Lord, Thou knowest how busy I must be this day. If I forget Thee, do not Thou forget me."
Without using those words as an excuse for spiritual indifference, we can sincerely say what Astley said. And as we lie down at night to rest our weary bodies, we can rest our souls in the assurance that God, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, lovingly watches over us in ceaseless vigilance.
At the same time, though, let's consciously include God in all we do and say--seeking His wisdom, relying on His strength, and praising His goodness. We should not take Him for granted, but we can be grateful that He will not forget us (Isa. 49:15; Heb. 13:5). --VCG
Never a heartache and never a groan,
Never a teardrop and never a moan;
Never a danger, but there on the throne,
Moment by moment, He thinks of His own. --Whittle
In God's garden of love, you are His forget-me-not.
HAVE
SOMEONE READ: “The Mason Jar”
FROM: WIT & WISDOM - October 7, 1998
A while back I was reading about an expert on
subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of
business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over achievers he said,
"Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled put a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar
and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized
rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was
filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar
full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of
gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel
to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled
and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was
onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he
reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the
sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.
Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted.
Once again he said, "Good!" Then he
grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to
the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this
illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full
your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things
into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration
teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in
at all."
What are the 'big rocks' in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish?
Time with your loved ones? Your faith,
your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember
to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all.
HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #5
FROM: http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_busyness.html
“Most middle-class Americans tend to worship their work, to work at their play, to play at their worship. As a result, their meanings and values are distorted. Their relationships disintegrate faster than they can keep them in repair, and their lifestyles resemble a cast of characters in search of a plot.”
Gordon Dahl quoted in
Leadership Magazine Fall 1982
Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friend's face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine.
If, we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
"Tomorrow" I say, "I will call on Jim."
"Just to show that I'm thinking of him."
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner! - Yet miles away,
"Here's a telegram sir."
"Jim died today."
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
Author unknown.
FROM: http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon1/if_tomorrow_never_comes.htm
If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see
you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul
to keep. If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door, I
would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more. If I knew it would
be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise, I would video tape
each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute or two to
stop and say "I love you," instead of assuming, you would KNOW I do. If I knew
it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, well I'm sure
you'll have so many more, so I can let just this one slip away. For surely
there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second
chance to make everything right. There will always be another day to say our "I
love you's", And certainly there's another chance to say our "Anything I can
do's?"
But just in case I might be wrong, and
today is all I get, I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never
forget, Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike, And today may be
the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today? For if tomorrow never
comes, you'll surely regret the day, That you didn't take that extra time for a
smile, a hug, or a kiss and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out
to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, Tell them how much
you love them and that you'll always hold them dear, Take time to say "I'm
sorry," "please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay". And if tomorrow never
comes, you'll have no regrets about today.
FROM: http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon1/appointm.htm
I had performed a funeral. The service was over,
and three of the deceased man's relatives were standing by the coffin comforting
one another when suddenly we heard a strange beeping sound....coming from the
coffin. The women stopped talking, and I began to look around when we all
realized that the alarm on the corpse's watch was going off! The relatives
laughed nervously, and began to discuss what it might mean. One thing it
definitely meant is this: the man missed his appointment. When the man set his
alarm, I am sure there was no doubt in his mind that he would keep that
appointment....but he didn't. The same is true for you and me. For most of us,
death will find us with full calendars, busy agendas, and schedules crowded with
coming events. But when it's time to go, we will go anyway, jam-packed
day-planners not withstanding.
Plan your appointments this week with an eye to the one appointment you will
definitely keep--an appointment with your maker.
LEADER: WHAT DOES YOUR SCHEDULE LOOK LIKE?
Let’s shake up the pattern a little.
"How …when we still have the same responsibilities and the same work schedule….same needs and the same alarm clock."
Let’s try changing the habits that have turned our lives into a routine. Here are a few ideas…you can think of others.
· Take a different route to work.
· Listen to a different radio station or a new CD on the way to work or the grocery store.
· Try a different restaurant.
· Join a different group or person during breaks or lunch.
· Place a favorite scripture or saying over your work space.
· Think… it’s not how many hours you put into your work…it’s how much work you put into your hours.
· Get an extra hour of rest every so often.
· Surprise your mate or date or friend or a shut-in with a poem or flowers or picnic or a dinner out.
· Try a new devotional book
· Make new friends--maybe even with someone you can introduce to the Lord Jesus.
· Above all, recognize the challenges that come in getting to know the unfathomable riches and depth of the mind and character of God.
· Count your blessings
· THEN… Take a look back at the past 3 months. You may discover that you've done a lot more cool stuff, and had a lot more excitement and fun than you’d been having, while accomplishing the same amount of work. Your life may really have become quite dynamic…AND BALANCED!
COMMENTS:
PRAYER REQUESTS:
CUT AND DISTRIBUTE FOR READING:
“YOU WILL BREAK THE BOW
IF YOU KEEP IT ALWAYS BENT”
Old Greek Motto
“It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement. - Mabel Newcomber”
QUOTE #3
“To fill the hour -- that is happiness.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ecclesiastes 3:9-13
Colossians 3:23
Proverbs 10:4-5
Psalm 127:1
Matthew 6:33
Proverbs 16:3
The Lord is my pace setter, I shall not rush.
He makes me to stop and rest for quiet intervals.
He provides me with images of stillness, which restores my serenity.
He leads me in ways of efficiency, through calmness of mind.
And His guidance is my peace.
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day
I will not fret, for His presence is here.
His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity
By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquility.
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hour,
For I shall walk in the pace of the Lord and dwell in His house forever.
“Most of Our Time”
We can make the most of our time, yet ignore eternity. We can let the passing dominate the permanent. And we can do it all on a very tight schedule.
WITHOUT A VIEW OF ETERNITY,
WE CANNOT KNOW THE REAL VALUE OF TIME.
QUOTE #5
“Most middle-class Americans tend to worship their work, to work at their play, to play at their worship. As a result, their meanings and values are distorted. Their relationships disintegrate faster than they can keep them in repair, and their lifestyles resemble a cast of characters in search of a plot.”
Gordon Dahl quoted in Leadership Magazine Fall 1982
I had performed a funeral. The service was over,
and three of the deceased man's relatives were standing by the coffin comforting
one another when suddenly we heard a strange beeping sound....coming from the
coffin. The women stopped talking, and I began to look around when we all
realized that the alarm on the corpse's watch was going off! The relatives
laughed nervously, and began to discuss what it might mean. One thing it
definitely meant is this: the man missed his appointment. When the man set his
alarm, I am sure there was no doubt in his mind that he would keep that
appointment....but he didn't. The same is true for you and me. For most of us,
death will find us with full calendars, busy agendas, and schedules crowded with
coming events. But when it's time to go, we will go anyway, jam-packed
day-planners not withstanding.
Plan your appointments this week with an eye to the one appointment you will
definitely keep--an appointment with your maker.
“The Mason Jar”
A while back I was reading about an expert on
subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of
business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over achievers he said,
"Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled put a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar
and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized
rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was
filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar
full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of
gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel
to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled
and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was
onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he
reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the
sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.
Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted.
Once again he said, "Good!" Then he
grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to
the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this
illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full
your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things
into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration
teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in
at all."
What are the 'big rocks' in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish?
Time with your loved ones? Your faith,
your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember
to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all.
If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see
you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul
to keep. If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door, I
would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more. If I knew it would
be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise, I would video tape
each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute or two to
stop and say "I love you," instead of assuming, you would KNOW I do. If I knew
it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, well I'm sure
you'll have so many more, so I can let just this one slip away. For surely
there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second
chance to make everything right. There will always be another day to say our "I
love you's", And certainly there's another chance to say our "Anything I can
do's?"
But just in case I might be wrong, and
today is all I get, I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never
forget, Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike, And today may be
the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today? For if tomorrow never
comes, you'll surely regret the day, That you didn't take that extra time for a
smile, a hug, or a kiss and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out
to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, Tell them how much
you love them and that you'll always hold them dear, Take time to say "I'm
sorry," "please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay". And if tomorrow never
comes, you'll have no regrets about today.
Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friend's face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine.
If, we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
"Tomorrow" I say, "I will call on Jim."
"Just to show that I'm thinking of him."
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner! - Yet miles away,
"Here's a telegram sir."
"Jim died today."
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
Author unknown.