One Second Nail Polish

Most of you who have followed my blog know that I wasn’t always an accountant clicking away at my computer, balancing spreadsheets, and collecting paperwork.  I actually went to school and got a degree for Athletic Training.  Yeah… big change there!  My days used to be spent taping smelly football ankles, setting up for games, and arguing with coaches.  I did love it.  Many people ask me why I didn’t want to do that anymore. 

Growing up my dad was a youth pastor and a teacher and a coach which sometimes left little time for him to be a dad.  I saw him constantly going, constantly working, and consistently exhausted by the time he came home.  I never felt unloved by him by any means, rather he always made me feel like I was his princess I know he would gladly take a bullet for me.  There were times when I felt like work was more important than me though.  I don’t hold that against him because I know he was just doing what he had to in order to support our family but I remember how sad it made me in the times of his busyness. 

Approaching my junior year of college I began to see that I had followed in his footsteps.  I was busy all the time.  Too busy for friends, family, God, or even myself.  I would purposely do things like take 20 hours worth of classes while working 60 hour weeks.  I would definitely not recommend that unless sleeping really isn’t your thing!  That’s when I realized that busyness had become my new alcohol. 

See, if I never had time to sit still then I could never be plagued by my problems.  It was a genius plan!  However, it led me to the point of complete exhaustion and a massive panic attack which forced me to have to be still…. And think. 

It’s interesting how we classify things as destructive habits and other things as just part of life.  I’d dare to say that addiction to alcohol and addiction of busyness are just as destructive.  Honestly, busyness is almost worse!  Alcohol might destroy your liver and cause you to dance around with a lampshade on your head but busyness addiction will cause your marriage to fall apart, your friends to drift away, your kids to lose touch, and your heart to be heavy with loneliness. 

It’s so extremely common in our world today!  We have instant access to information, phones that can do everything, and email that can let us work from anywhere.  We even have nail polish (which I may or may not possess) that you can put on in one second! I’m not kidding that is a real thing, I will put a picture on here just to prove it to you!  I mean, I get it because the 30 seconds it takes me to do my nails is WAY too long! 

There is also this new social app (also which I may or may not use) called “Vine” that allows you to only share 6 second long video clips because that is, apparently, how long the human attention span lasts.  It’s no wonder that Jesus would say, “Come to me you who are weary and I will give you rest.”  Or why we are told to be still and know that He is God. 

We have to take time away from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives to just rest.  Not to sit and ardently study our Bible, unless that is where you find rest, but rather to just be still.  Just take a breath, lay back, and be held.  It’s hard, especially for people like me who always like to be out with friends or doing something productive.  I am finding though, the more I take moments to rest and be poured into by God, the easier it is for me to pour into others without any thought of getting something back.  I rest now so that I can create spaces of rest for those around me.  So today, find a moment to just be still.  It’s amazing what can be heard in the silence.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”