Let's talk about the idol of #multi_tasking.
In a post this week, I listed a number of what I called soul-needs. Keyword being "needs" not wants. These #needs are required for you and me to continue to exist...things that we may have seen Jesus Himself doing while here on earth:
Health/Eating properly/Exercise
Time alone/quiet
Creative outlets
Bible/Prayer
Worship
Rest/Sabbath/Margin
Friendship/Accountability
Beauty/Nature
A few of them are "no-brainers" and the health-related one will garner a lot of support from all corners (everyone knows they need to take care of their bodies today). I want to focus on the one that gets almost no support and feels almost sacrilegious to us American women: #Rest. #Margin. #Sabbath.
American women practically worship #busyness. We openly admire those who are "doers". Ever complimented someone for their ability to #nap? Probably not. It's not admirable in our culture. And even if we wanted to rest, who has time???
Why is taking time to rest so hard for us? I regularly lose the battle between choosing that quiet time that comes after the kids go down and going to bed at a decent hour. (Even when I know my nursing child is going to awaken at least once.) Then I pay for it with six hours of sleep or less.
Other times I'm afraid I'll lay in bed with my brain in over-time so I stay up until I'm tired enough. Or maybe I #procrastinate going to bed in to watch a movie or have "adult" time with my hubby.
Even if I am watching a movie, I almost always am working on something else. It's a habit left over from studying while watching TV maybe, but I have to confess that I always feel like I have to be doing at least two things at once, especially during "down" time. (I'm convinced this is why many of us women are looking on Social Media so often - we feel like we're multi-tasking.)
I like to feel #efficient. The problem-solving feeling that comes from multi-tasking is addictive. But studies show it's not even effective (see resources below).
How do we know when it's crossed over into an #idol? When God commands us to rest and we can't or won't.
We are not called to multi-task. We're called to rest in the Lord. Actually, it's a command. God forgive me for what I've sacrificed to this god!
We need to do what it takes to make room for and keep the #Sabbath - resting in God to receive whatever it is He wishes to give. Rest is a way to worship God, an active way of demonstrating His nature and glory. In a frenzied, buzzing world, the woman who knows to #wait_quietly for God to speak/move/come makes the world stand up and notice.
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31
#Grace is received in Sabbath.
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An excellent resource on embracing margin is Priscilla Shirer's book "Breathe": https://www.christianbook.com/breathe-making-room-for-sabbath/priscilla-shirer/9781430032342/pd/032341?en=google&event=SHOP&kw=dvd-studies-0-20%7C032341&p=1179710&dv=c&gclid=CjwKCAjw27jnBRBuEiwAdjQXDB-rvDCvKHuQnKKJAP1df7o8yyhtlaqC8sQfsF0IVfbUHwUvc3yXbBoC0vIQAvD_BwE
A link on the myth of multi-tasking: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95256794
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