Are you toooooo busy

BUSYNESS

"There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing." ~ Bryan Tracy

We just finished writing a book and are very excited about "The 6 Mosquitoes, that drain the life out of marriage and relationships." This book is a study on 6 things that have the ability to steal the life from your marriage. While most of us are not affected by all 6 of these mosquitoes, we are all affected in some way and at different times by a few of these. We will spend the next 6 articles dealing with a different mosquito each month. This month let's dive into Busyness as we are all affected by the epidemic of busyness. Busyness seems to rob us of so many things in life and we do not even realize it. Have you ever woken up in the morning and before you knew it, it was time to go to bed and you had no recollection of what the day even consisted of? That is a common trait of a busy person. In order for us to accomplish certain goals throughout our day, we must first make the choice to decide what is truly important. It seems as though society gets faster and faster paced. While at work, many of you are probably worried about what is going on at home. Have I spent enough time with my children this week? Have I taken the time to encourage and communicate with my spouse? And while at home, many times our time is spent worrying about pressing matters we did not finish at the office. It seems, at times, like life is such a whirlwind that we do not have enough time to stop and balance that which is of utmost importance. How, then, when there are so many things pulling for our time, do we change the course of our "busyness"?

Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." God knew there would be seasons in our lives when many things would be pulling for us and vying for our attention. In fact, those of us who live fast paced lives of do,do,do are pretty popular by the worlds standards. Have you ever stopped to think about what keeps you so busy? Are you seeking the approval of the world more than you are seeking the approval of God and your family? Here are some practical ways to begin working through the busyness of your life:

1. Do not allow life distractions to keep you from connecting in your marriage. (Sit down with your mate and identify what distractions have taken you away from growing your marriage.)

2. Take an inventory of your life and be willing to balance those activities by letting go of the things taking time away from your mate and children.

3. Focus more firmly on your marriage so that your able to see the things that knock you off course.

4. Realize that every decision you make in your marriage is not by chance, therefore, make the choice to devote the time necessary to have a healthy marriage and family.

5. Spend time together. You will never grow a relationship that sustains the storms in your life if you have not prioritized the time you spend nurturing your marriage.

Please understand that if you do not spend time with your mate and children, someone or something else will. Busyness has the potential to be a breeding ground for so many unhealthy things--affairs, undisciplined children, addictions, etc. So take the time to foster the kind of environment that makes your mate and children want to be at home. "Show me, Oh Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath." ~ Psalms 39:4-5

"Invest your life in the people that will cry at your funeral."

Have a great week....slow down....
Steve and Debbie Wilson
www.marriagemattersnow.com