Our Busy Schedules Don't Mean We Are Successful

Yesterday I read a devotional about schedules. I love the Bible app (YouVersion), and I cannot start my day without having my coffee and reading my morning devotion on the app (in the afternoons I read a different passage from the Bible). Today the app told me that I have a 100 day streak! That means I have read a devotion in the app every day for the past 100 days. *Let me go off on a tangent and say that if you're treating the Bible app like Snapchat and just open it and click through a post to "save your streak" and don't really comprehend what it says, this method of accountability isn't really effective and you're just going through the motions to 'save the streak.'*

Anyway, yesterday's devotional (from "Passion and Purpose" by Charles Stanley) was about not filling your schedule and how today's world is fast-paced and we feel the pressure to "keep up."

How if we aren't busy, we feel like we aren't doing anything or being successful.

It reminded me that Jesus took time to rest. He didn't rush from place to place, trying to please people (I'M A PEOPLE PLEASER AND I'M TRYING TO BREAK FREE FROM THIS MENTALITY). He was never flustered about His schedule.

Jesus did things on His own time, took time for Himself (because you can't pour from an empty cup), and His timing was good.

Charles Stanley asked the question "Do you talk with God about your schedule? Or do you hurl yourself into an almost frantic routine each day." 

(I hurrrl myself into a frantic routine each day!!!!! It's so unnecessary!)

Being super busy doesn't mean success. It means I may be burning myself out when I could use that energy to focus on a couple important things that will get more attention rather than EVERY SINGLE THING only getting some of my attention.

I have to think: What, on my to-do list is vital? What can I cut out? How can I work smarter and not harder to minimize stress? How can I "get more out of every hour I'm gifted" without flustering myself into a frenzy? How can I have a balanced schedule, which is God's will for me? How can I tailor my schedule to fit my calling?

These are things I will be mindful of praying about, and hopefully move from the "frantic hurling myself into a schedule so I feel busy and successful" to "more balanced, relaxed, and focused on what's necessary and fulfilling to my purpose."

It's super hard right now to NOT be busy (planning a *wedding* :), full time job, Jr. League social media chair, middle school small group leader, planning prom, sorority advisor, friend, fiancee, sister, daughter, granddaughter, RAISING A DOG... the list goes on!)
BUT, I have to remind myself to be like Jesus and sometimes get away, regroup, decide what's priority and what's not, and not feel like every single thing matters at once. No one will get the "best Beth" if I do that!