Panic to Peace

I used to absolutely hate Sundays - especially Sunday afternoons. I would rather do a bad Monday than a good Sunday because of one word...DREAD. By about 1:00 p.m., the absolute dread, soon turn to panic, would set in. As hard as I tried to ignore it or talk myself out of it, the dread would come at me with an overwhelming consumption like air to a flame. It would start with just small thoughts of going back to work. Then would come the nausea. Finally, the all out too much chemical released in the brain panic. This rush of bad energy would come to rest in misery like a wet blanket. Week after week I tried to hide from it, and week after week it found me.

Slowly but surely, I began to see a change. The entire Sunday was enjoyable. Work found its proper place in my list of priorities. To be honest, for years it was #1. I am ashamed of that fact and will always feel regret over what I let work steal from my life. Sunday, my day of Sabbath, worship, study, and rest became my favorite day. Then, I began to even enjoy work again. I found contentment at home, peace at work, and near paradise in fellowship. Now, I almost (not all. I'm being honest here; not melodramatic) enjoy every moment of life. I still have bad days, tired days, and definitely hormonal days. They are days now and not entire seasons of my life.

Lo and behold if I didn't learn the why behind this transformation today in Sunday School. We are studying Ecclesiastes (my absolute favorite), and the opening chapters talk about the burnout of the daily grind. There is day. There is night. There are seasons. Nothing will change that fact. What you do, why you do it, and for Whom you are doing it makes all the difference in the world. Solomon, the man who had absolutely everything to excess, including wisdom, says it all in Ecclesiastes. You want to be content and have it all? Live life fulfilling your God given purpose. Think about it. Would you rather do something out of habit, or would you rather do something for a cause? We love a cause. Save the whales. Save the rainforest. VBS. Christian Food Mission. It doesn't matter if you are a Christian or not, you like a cause...a reason behind why you do what you do. Why? You were created with a purpose in mind. and your mind, heart, and soul long to fulfill, be engaged in that purpose.

Why have my days changed so dramatically? Why am I living life to the fullest? It has absolutely nothing to do with my circumstances because they have not changed in the least. I am married to the same person. I have the same one and only child I want. I live in the same house. I have the same job. The difference is that I now do what I do for God...all of it. God is becoming (I'm being honest) my #1.

Here was the beautiful lesson in the lesson from Ecclesiastes. It is the Hebrew word for activity. For some of us, activity is the problem. There is too much of it, and it serves no Godly purpose. We are overwhelmed and exhausted before Monday ever comes. Ready for the Hebrew word for activity?

DELIGHT.

Are you ready to delight in everything you do? Only do it if it glorifies God. Don't do it for your spouse, your children, or your employer. Don't do it for your parents or for people you think may be your friends. Do it for your maker...for the One who delighted in you when He created you!