The Hurrier I Go

Ps 46: 10 “Cease striving and know that I am God;
            I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Whew!  I'm exhausted.  Between the physical stress of long hours and too much to do, and the mental/emotional stress of numerous high-profile events, I'm worn down and burned out.  Perhaps I expected too much of this particular holiday season.  I had hoped that I would continue a season from earlier in the fall where work and home activities certainly kept me more than busy, but I felt like I was keeping a manageable pace.  That pace picked up, however, in about early to mid Nov and has been relentless.  I'm going to work earlier, staying later, and coming home to help around the house. 
As I briefly pause to reflect, I read a short devotion by Chris that talked about the frustration of being on the highway at 4:02 in the morning and being held up by two cars driving slowly in formation on a divided highway.  As a high type A personality, I can't find a more frustrating example of what happens when I'm busy, except maybe yesterday. 
Yesterday I left for work early with NOTHING on my calendar.  I arrived at work to find I was scheduled for a 2.5 hour meeting and was already late.  On my way out of the meeting, I ran into the boss who demanded to know what happened in Washington last week.  That meeting went on long enough to miss my other meeting.  And so the day went.  My time was simply not my own.  As I got out of my truck, I realized I had locked my keys in it and called Reja who graciously did a drive by to unlock it for me in the middle of the day.  Unfortunately, the ignition was on and killed the battery, which I learned at 9pm as I tried to leave.  So I had to bother Reja who was trying to pack for a trip to come and rescue me. 
During this of all seasons, I'm frustrated by not having time to simply be still.  I think that's why as I age I'm learning that I like still hunting more and more.  By investing in the effort to get there, I'm rewarded by some time to just sit still and reflect on all the good things (more like people) God has blessed me with and it helps put times like this into better perspective.  It also reminds me that when I'm feeling like the world is on my shoulders, that I should stop and remember who really shoulders the world.  My very own frustration is self-centered and I've got to break the self-absorbed pity party.  After all, feeling put-upon and sorry for myself won't get anything done.
So today, I broke the cycle and disciplined myself to take time and reflect on Ps 46.  I like the NASB version today that reminds me that it is unhealthy to continue striving to the point that I ignore the fact that God WILL be exalted whether I pause to acknowledge that fact or not.  I would do better to fall in line with God than to continue striving to be a hero on my own.