Do Less, Accomplish More

There comes a time in life when you begin to think that all your effort and busyness has accomplished nothing. It feels like years, or decades have been lost to scurrying, stressing-out and possibly worrying.

One of my favorite movies is "Uncorked" (1998). The main character, Ross, is busy trying to find his niche, trying to prove his life has value and he can produce something. All the while he's neglected to use his greatest talent, playing the guitar. Meanwhile his eccentric uncle, Uncle Cullen, undermines everything he does. It's later discovered that Uncle Cullen is devising a plan to force Ross to begin to play music again. The uncle has some great lines in the movie.

"I think the world could use a few more people capable of sitting still instead of scrambling around trying to do things," he says to Ross.

One of my all-time favorite lines is when Uncle Cullen says, "Life is a long experience of suffering, disappointments, and chaos, but the moment you stop squirming against the catastrophe of being alive, music flies out of the dog doo."

I'm beginning to realize that I cannot control this life. I'm also realizing that slow and steady effort accompanied with prayer accomplishes so much more than rushing to do, do, do in hopes of checking more tasks off of a to-do list. It's true, we get more tasks done that way, but we don't accomplish more of what is important and lasting.

Spending quiet moments with my husband on a weekend away will be a lasting memory that adds joy to our marriage. In spite of the temptation, I didn't even take my computer! And guess what...I got my new website up and running this morning. Nothing was lost. Much was gained.

I see God moving among our youth and in our community like never before. I used to think I had to work hard to make something like that happen. But now it's happening, seemingly on its own. God is moving sovereignly.

It's nothing but the grace of God.  But then nothing of value is.