It wasn't until we were at the local grocery store and only grocery store I might add that we realized we are from the "city". The girl who waited on us asked where we were from because we clearly didn't look familiar and when we told her she said, "ooooh your from the city." To my surprise I nodded, "ya I guess we are are." This of course got me thinking about all the differences between where we live and where we were spending this wonderful week.
We come from the land of traffic, lots of traffic and it is not uncommon to spend hours of everyday in your car. Many families have both parents working and children in daycare. Homes are large, payments are high and the list of activities to be involved in is endless. We have a plethora of stores and restaurants to choose from and countless ways to spend that paycheck the tired commuter worked so hard to earn. Now these might not all sound like bad things and I'm not condemning those who live this life. In our area it just seems to be a way of life and it does come with it's own set of benefits. For instance when we needed to get ready for camping we ran by the local bike shop, Batteries Plus, NTB and then Chik-fil-A for dinner all in the span of 1.5 hours completing our errands as easy as that!
The large downside to this is that people are pulled in a million directions and the drive to keep up is exhausting. There are summer camps and fall sports, followed by piano lessons and meetings with the PTA, garden club, Karate lessons, play dates, Norwex and Thirty-One parties, after school care, swim meets and ballet practice. I'm exhausted just reading the list and I know I might catch flack from local friends, but the truth is we are too busy.
While in that tiny town in the mountains I watched people talk to each other. Cell phones stayed in purses and pockets. And all of the sudden the busy we find ourselves tangled in didn't seem so appealing.
As a general rule I am anit-busy. This does not mean to imply that I think others like being busy, they just are and don't get me wrong, I am busy too. I am busy with child raising, laundry doing, food buying, meal cooking, homeschooling, friendship making and marriage building. BUT my calendar is not full.
You can call me just about anytime and I'm free for a chat. If you stop by my house you are welcome to let your kids out of the car and run wild with mine. We can sit and have coffee or some good old southern sweet tea. This may mean that my lesson plans for school will have to wait till the afternoon or that all that laundry in my room will remain in a heap and that perhaps instead of the fancy (LOL) meal I had planned for later, we'll just have something simple.
"Make Your ways known to me, LORD; teach me Your paths.
Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation;
I wait for You all day long."
Psalm 25:4-5
I will admit that my anti-busy was at first forced upon me by little ones and budgetary limits, but I will also tell you that many times I have thanked God for this very thing! He has shown me the blessing of slowing down, of making time and of having the space in my schedule to breath Him in. When we are so busy not only do we shut out others like family, friends and possibly spouses, but we tend to not have time for God either. Today I pray that He may open your eyes to the blessings of being still before Him and that He give you the courage to step out of the rat race of "city" life with me.
What do ya say? How 'bout a trip to the country?
With love,
Ruthie
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