Doing It All, But Missing Out

The other day, I read in my devotional how we often try to stay busy, as our culture screams at us to do so. For indeed, it’s our culture that tries to make us believe that a busy life is a successful life. When we spend umpteen hours at our job, surely that makes us more successful. When we spend our days running from place to place, warming up our vehicle seats constantly with our presence, sure that makes us more successful. But in trying to stay busy, does that mean we are living a fruitful life?

Often not.

Have you ever had the feeling that you are doing as much as you can, but are still missing out? Missing out on life? Missing out on your kids’ lives? Missing out on your marriage? Missing out on your own life?

We can seem to have everything we want in life, but still feel like we are missing out. And it’s because we dodging what we really need. God’s peace and contentment.

If we are trying to do it all, we need to stop. I get that there are seasons of busyness. We are in a bit of one right now. But when there is a looming major surgery ahead, it daily makes me take a step back and think. What IS best for us? What IS best for Mazy? The other day, we were playing catch. Every time she caught it, she would bow. I am not certain where she learned to bow, but she wings her head so hard, her hair flings too. It’s rather hilarious, really. One thing I found myself thinking was “does Mazy ever think that I am too busy?”

Again, we can seem to have it all. A picturesque life. But in the midst of it all, in the middle of the so-called perfect, we can still feel empty. We can still feel like we are missing out.

And that is why contentment and peace can ONLY BE FOUND IN CHRIST! When we have been at our most troublesome times in life, when we feel we have lost it all, there was incredible peace. Not a peace circumstantially, but a peace knowing that we could not go on, without our God. We can search the aisles of stores, looking for the next latest and greatest. Trying to find that thing that will satisfy. We can peruse the clearance aisles of Target and Meijer, wanting to find something that catches our eye, but by the time we take it home, after about 10 minutes, the feeling is over and done with. That is why I refuse to step foot into Target unless I need something because I know I’d be right there with you! I’m a sucker for a good deal, but after moving, I’ve learned we can accumulate WAY too much of what we don’t need and we don’t ever want that to happen again!

Finding that contentment in Christ begins with not looking at what WE are doing, but looking at what CHRIST is doing in us. When we see how He is using us in His Kingdom, we will not have those feelings of missing out. We will not feel like we are missing the mark, but are only left feeling like we have it all. Because in Christ, we have all we need.

Look around your home. Look at your calendar and planner. Look at your life. Does it bring you satisfaction? Maybe for a little while, but not always. Because those things are not meant to bring eternal satisfaction. Look at Christ, who He is to you, and how He is using you. That, my friends, will bring eternal satisfaction.