December 21

Busy, busy, busy.

Write the three thank you notes for my birthday presents…

Or fill the bird feeder before the storm hits…

Or empty the dishwasher and put in the breakfast dishes…

Or wrap the Christmas presents while the kids are still at school…

Or read the paper to find out about that accident on the beltway last night…

Or make some soup and take it to the lady next door who broke her ankle…

Or put the old clothes in the car and drive them up to the donation truck…

Or…

It is like 7 LARGE football players all trying to get through a doorway as fast as they can, all at the same time, but the doorway is only big enough for one at a time. When they all scrunch in at once, there is a pile-up, and NONE of them get through.

But they keep trying harder and harder and put enormous pressure on the doorway and squeeze each other from the force of their pushing to be first and now I am worried about them breaking the doorway frame or hurting themselves and I cannot get through the door and the worries take over and I cannot even think about doing anything and it gets louder and louder and harder and harder and I put my hands over my eyes because it hurts too much and I want to go to bed!!

I spend so much time worrying about not getting any done, that there is no time left to do any of them.

I find that I do best if I concentrate on one thing at a time. I need to take a break, and figure out some priorities here. How can I get those football players to get in a single file line? Which one has a time limit? Which one will improve a person’s health? Which one would be nice to do, but can be done tomorrow? Which one is going to be the most fun to do? Pick the most important thing and do it first. When it is finished, I go on to the next. Miraculously, all the tasks will be accomplished!

These examples are pretty easy tasks to do, and putting them in order is not too taxing. But the same block-the-door phenomenon can happen with more important tasks that gang up on you, and keep you from doing what you need to do. To sort out these tasks, you need some help. Instead of worrying about not getting any of them done, back away and take a time out. You are never alone. God is always there, and you can ask God for help. Some people say they turn over all their problems to God as the best way to deal with them. My preference is to keep the problems as my responsibility, but talk to God, and then listen, to get some insight on the best way to proceed. Pretty soon those problems will be lined up and ready to march right through that door with ease.

(Pictured above:  "Football Pile Up Pix,” Saturday Evening Post cover, October 23, 1948.)