When Days Attack

            The great philosopher, Charlie Brown, once observed, “I try to take life one day at a time. It’s just that lately, several days have attacked me at once.”

            Well, I’ve been there.  I’ll bet you have, too.  Don’t get me wrong here.  I’m not complaining about my life.  I have a wonderful life.  I’ve written before about how much I love the things I do, and that’s still true.  I would not trade my life or my job for anything.

            It’s just that, no matter what we do, we all have times when our lives get really busy.  These are times when, no matter how hard we try, it seems like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the things we want to do.  The thing that makes it even harder is when all the things we want to do are good things.  We’re not having to choose between doing a good thing and doing a bad thing, or even between doing a bad thing and doing a neutral thing.  We’re having to choose between doing one good thing or doing another good thing.

            So what do we do?  How do we decide what to do when we know we can’t do everything?

            Well, for one thing, we have to prioritize.  I know that’s not exactly a novel idea, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.  We have to figure out which of the good things we want to do are the most important.  We also have to figure out which of the good things we want to do have to be done right now, as opposed to the good things that can wait a while.  That’s a tricky thing, too, though.  As the old saying goes, the thing that can be done at any time is often the thing that never gets done at all.  The fact that something may not be urgent does not mean that it should be put off indefinitely.

            Another thing we need to do is not put too much pressure on ourselves.  No one expects us to do everything, and certainly no one expects us to do everything today.  It’s okay to leave some things to be done tomorrow.  After all, even God does not expect us to do everything.  God expects us to do everything we can, but God understands that we only have twenty-four hours in a day and seven days in a week, and God knows that we cannot work every one of those hours.  We should not demand more of ourselves than God does.

            Not only can we not do everything, but we should not try to do everything.  When we do, we sometimes don’t allow room for others to do things.  Sometimes, when we don’t get things done, others will pick up the slack.  If they don’t, then perhaps some things just won’t get done.  That can be okay sometimes, too.

            Finally, we need to remember that there is no such thing as an indispensible person.  If you or I passed away today, the world would continue.  It was here long before we came, and it will be here long after we’re gone.  That does not excuse us for doing what we can, but it should help us realize that it’s okay for us to stop and take a breath once in a while.  After all, Jesus occasionally went off by himself to rest, to pray, and to think.  If Jesus did it, it’s okay for us to do it, too.  Doing that helps us get centered and remember the joy we get from doing the things we do.

            It can feel, sometimes, like several days are attacking us at once.  If we just stay calm, trust God, do our best, and keep plugging away, though, things will be work out.  God will make the time for us to do the things we need to do, and God will take care of the things we don’t have time to get to.  All we need to do is relax and trust God to help us.