As the school year gets into full swing, the realities of a busy Fall are likely beginning to set in for many of us. How will you accomplish everything on your “to do” list? When will you make time for the things which are most important in a world filled with trivial things that masquerade as being important? What will it look like to pursue the Lord at the speed of real life? How will you keep from getting overwhelmed with frustration, bad news, syllabus shock (those of you who are students know what I mean here), and all the other trials of life? Here are a few good articles on several facets brought up by these questions…
- Busy-ness is everywhere. In some sense, it seems that being busy is our default mode in America. When somebody asks how we’re doing, we often reply with some version of saying how busy we are. Students move from practice to class to after school programs without a break – and then go to bed not having spent any real time with their family. Moms and dads work longer and longer hours in order to make ends meet, or to get a promotion, or to feel a sense of accomplishment. David Murray points out that in the midst of busy and hectic lives, we desperately need to slow down and make time to be with Christ. While there’s plenty to be said on this topic, his article here is a great start.
- Sometimes, the tasks set before us can cause us to quake in fear. Or the hardships of our lives can bring us into disappointment, even depression. Charles Spurgeon, the famous Victorian-era British pastor, is an interesting case study: though “successful” in every worldly sense, he suffered from all kinds of depressions and disappointments throughout his life. In Spurgeon, we see a very real person who cares for others and for serving the Lord, yet who endures many severe trials. Though writing from the perspective of a pastor, his comments about God’s point in suffering, even in this brief introduction, are helpful – and hopeful.
- One of the struggles each of us has in life is to make sense of what is happening around us. In doing that, part of the task is to understand our own reactions, our own ways of processing that might not always line up with what is genuinely true or real. Joe Rigney writes a powerful article that uses two of David’s psalms as examples of how we must turn to the Lord to deal with both what is true, and also with what we feel.
