It’s amazing how many things can happen at once. Over the course of one week, there have been countless things occur to occupy my attention and to drain me of my energy and health. We’ll call it the “Law of Simultaneous Consideration.” This law says that if anything requires your consideration, chances are favorable that an unbelievable number of them will occur simultaneously.
For instance, let’s review what has happened in my life this week, since last Thursday’s entry:
1. Lawn work in 95 degree heat and high humidity.
2. Bronchitis, exacerbated by the cutting of the grass and its seeds/clippings being inhaled.
3. Two sermons and one Sunday School lesson prepared and delivered.
4. One church member having emergency appendix surgery.
5. Another church member having scheduled neck surgery … the same day as the other member’s appendix surgery, at a different hospital.
6. Grandmother in the hospital, ultimately with a heart catheterization at one hospital, then transport to another to have two stints put into her heart.
7. Doctor’s appointment to set up further tests next week.
8. Limited sleep due to schedules, joined with the bronchitis, and the ever-present neck and shoulder pain.
9. Several letters, essays and other writings, and counseling sessions requiring my attention.
10. Care of my three-year-old son (enough said).
I could go on, but I believe the point is made. Most of these things I listed happened not one at a time, but simultaneously. It has been difficult to accomplish what I needed to do, especially when they overlapped. But God is faithful throughout it all to give me just enough strength and grace to see me through, and has never let me down.
Sometimes in life, it seems as though you’re being pulled in several directions at once. Maybe it seems like you didn’t even know there were that many directions in which to be pulled. During these times, the only hope of making it through with you sanity is to trust in God. It is humanly impossible to sort through the chaos of life and make it to the other side. The reason we so often fail is because we do try to make it on our own power, resiliency and ability.
So perhaps in the final analysis, having our attention required in so many different places at once is a lesson on trusting in the Lord. As you learn how to lean on Him more, you gain insight on what it truly means, and it helps you down the road during other trials. And most importantly, you are able to help others cope when their own lives seem to get out of control. And when you’re dealing with feelings you neither expected nor know how best to handle, you know that in some way, you’ll be able to figure it out.
So, staring at the blurry images of these words upon my computer screen, I realize that God has never let me down, and being there for others is a great way to spend one’s time. The Law of Simultaneous Consideration might take a lot out of you, but it puts back in much, much more.
Next week, there will be a very special entry, so check it out. Well, it might not be special for you, but it will be for me, so humor me. God bless.
© 2006, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
For instance, let’s review what has happened in my life this week, since last Thursday’s entry:
1. Lawn work in 95 degree heat and high humidity.
2. Bronchitis, exacerbated by the cutting of the grass and its seeds/clippings being inhaled.
3. Two sermons and one Sunday School lesson prepared and delivered.
4. One church member having emergency appendix surgery.
5. Another church member having scheduled neck surgery … the same day as the other member’s appendix surgery, at a different hospital.
6. Grandmother in the hospital, ultimately with a heart catheterization at one hospital, then transport to another to have two stints put into her heart.
7. Doctor’s appointment to set up further tests next week.
8. Limited sleep due to schedules, joined with the bronchitis, and the ever-present neck and shoulder pain.
9. Several letters, essays and other writings, and counseling sessions requiring my attention.
10. Care of my three-year-old son (enough said).
I could go on, but I believe the point is made. Most of these things I listed happened not one at a time, but simultaneously. It has been difficult to accomplish what I needed to do, especially when they overlapped. But God is faithful throughout it all to give me just enough strength and grace to see me through, and has never let me down.
Sometimes in life, it seems as though you’re being pulled in several directions at once. Maybe it seems like you didn’t even know there were that many directions in which to be pulled. During these times, the only hope of making it through with you sanity is to trust in God. It is humanly impossible to sort through the chaos of life and make it to the other side. The reason we so often fail is because we do try to make it on our own power, resiliency and ability.
So perhaps in the final analysis, having our attention required in so many different places at once is a lesson on trusting in the Lord. As you learn how to lean on Him more, you gain insight on what it truly means, and it helps you down the road during other trials. And most importantly, you are able to help others cope when their own lives seem to get out of control. And when you’re dealing with feelings you neither expected nor know how best to handle, you know that in some way, you’ll be able to figure it out.
So, staring at the blurry images of these words upon my computer screen, I realize that God has never let me down, and being there for others is a great way to spend one’s time. The Law of Simultaneous Consideration might take a lot out of you, but it puts back in much, much more.
Next week, there will be a very special entry, so check it out. Well, it might not be special for you, but it will be for me, so humor me. God bless.
© 2006, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
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