Multi-tasking: (Wikipedia) is the performance by an individual of appearing to handle more than one task at the same time. An example of multitasking is listening to a radio interview while typing an email. Some believe that multitasking can result in time wasted due to human context switching and apparently causing more errors due to insufficient attention. Other research illustrates our brains are capable dealing with certain ‘dual multiple tasks’ at the same time.
My personal research indicates that I am not humanly capable of multi-tasking. When the phone rings and I am working at the computer, I find my words jumbling as I talk or I type the words that I am saying. My children like to remind me that I really should stick with doing one task at a time, especially when I am on the phone with them. I tend to agree but the urgent pace of life probably won’t stop me from doing it again.
Especially at this time of year, we find ourselves trying to do a balancing act with our homes, our families, our work, our down time. Even though I have so many things demanding my attention, I need time with Him over the busyness of the day.
As enticing as the many options we have during this season may be, everything that is shiny is not gold. And some are downright golden calves. Now, I’m not advocating skipping a wonderful turkey dinner or time with family, but when we have to choose between something that is good and something better, we want to choose well. God always has the better plan. Anything else falls hopelessly short. It becomes clear why every pursuit except God can be an empty idol, if it takes up space in our souls where God could reside. He is so much better.
Lord, we come to you broken by the rushed pace and demands of our lives. Help us to see clearly Your path and choose wisely. We are so grateful for all the many blessings that You give. May we be still long enough not to miss a single one. In Your glorious Name, Amen.
Happy Thanksgiving to you! And may you know the singleness of joy found solely in Him.
Today must have been Crazies Day at WalMart. Two unshaven men with backpacks ran and shouted through the store. “I’m getting me some soup. Oh HERE it is. Yeah, it’s on this row.” My row. Okay. I make a little room and begin to mentally review my Thanksgiving menu with a few added things and strike out on every count. Marie Callendar pumpkin pie—no. Amy’s cheese enchiladas—no. Green onions—yes, but wilted and 99 cents a pack. I need six. Good grief. They were on sale at Kroger.
I smiled and made silly comments like “Oh, sorry. Traffic jam.” And “Do you see the coconut anywhere?” Note to self: Don’t talk with the patrons. It obviously is an invasion of privacy. Since shopping wasn’t going so well, I decided to forgo the mental list to start a statistical count. A good 30 percent were talking to themselves and only a few had cell phones nearby. Maybe 10 percent looked “normal.” Some looked like they needed their next fix more than they did the bread in their basket. Others just looked a little rattled.
“Ma’am.” “Ma’am!” I turned and looked. He was talking to me. “MA’AM. You got my buggy.” I had to laugh. He was right. I had stolen his cart. I realized maybe I did belong.
I found myself sitting in a classroom again after all these years, the first day in an advanced math class, of all things. Probably because I slept through most of Algebra and Trigonometry in high school, and Statistics was a foreign language to me in college, fear was rising from within.
The teacher was a familiar face, a German lady that had lived through the Holocaust. She smiled as everyone went around the room talking about what had brought them to this class. One woman stood up and said “I’m tired of living for everybody else, and I want to be more genuine.” Another friend from childhood who had worn a patch over one of his eyes told of having new eyes that could see clearly again after many years. As I wondered why I was there, my fear became gratitude. A song swelled in my heart, and before I knew it, we were all singing, “Blessed Jesus. Blessed Jesus, Thou has bought us. Thine we are…”
The teacher went over and prudently closed the door, but looked up with a satisfied smile on her face. It was in that moment, I turned around and saw three students who were not singing but had an anger about them. The young girl said, “This is evil!” I said, “I’m so sorry.” I felt their sense of exclusion. “But you must see that we are singing from a place of love that compels our thanksgiving to our Lord. Isn’t there something here that you can be thankful to your god for?” But their faces burned with more anger.
This was a dream I had last night. I awoke singing this song that we sang in church when I was young. I know why it was a classroom but I’ll save that for another post. I remembered the oppression even within the walls of the classroom. Yet there was a freedom for everyone in Christ that is so hard to explain, and a compulsion from inside that demanded our worship and praise. The teacher represented someone who had lived through the oppression–a very real need I have right now to know we will survive the current days of oppression, (though they will get worse before they get better.) Freely worship Him today with hearts filled with gratitude.
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4
Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
much we need thy tender care;
in thy pleasant pastures feed us,
for our use thy folds prepare.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast bought us, thine we are.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast bought us, thine we are.
This year I have tried to tuck a few verses into my heart with Beth Moore’s blog and the Siestas. Though I have been remiss in much of it, we have completed 21 verses and are entering crunch time before the “test” in January.
The real tests and benefits of knowing God’s Word come each day. Whether it is an outward resolve to handle a situation in love or an inner calm that settles inside me, there is a delight in hiding ancient words of Life in my heart. There is wisdom. There is peace. If you have an extra few minutes, listen to John Piper extol the virtues of memorizing The Word of the Lord using memorized verses.
Psalm 119:24 “Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors.”
Mike and I went to Costco and found individually sealed wild sockeye salmon. What to do, what to do? I like salmon if it’s poached in a champagne dill cream at a nice restaurant, not prepared at my house.
However, in light of all the benefits purported of salmon in particular, we felt we should start eating this once a week. Mike found some cedar wraps for the salmon (at Sur la Table) and brushed the fillets with olive oil and wrapped them. He grilled them five minutes on each side, and they were perfect. I made some jasmine rice and sauted spinach with garlic to go with it, and topped the salmon with some already prepared mango pico de gallo. It was a beautiful colorful dinner we threw together in less than twenty minutes. I wished I had taken a picture–it was so pretty and quite good.
Do you have any recipes for incorporating salmon in the diet? Please share them with me.
Siesta Scripture Memory: Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) - “So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
