What to do when There is so much

I don't know if you have noticed, but during this sequester time, there has been an explosion of opportunities online, with Facebook, Instagram, You Tube, Twitter, Zoom Calls, Google Meet, whew....I am tired just mentioning a few of them.

What do you do when there are amazing choices in front of you,even more than you could ever personally be a part of? How do you combat FOMO (fear of missing out), when it seems that you are indeed, "missing out"?

The enemy of the best if the good.

Many of you have heard this as a guide in making decisions. When you are surrounded by so much good, which should you invest your time in?

Each week (and sometimes daily) I have over a dozen opportunities to be on global calls with many wonderful and worthy points of view. So, how do you sort through it all?

Start with who you are.

That's right. Who are you? Who have you been called to be? What is the assingment God has called you to?

All of these questions are at their heart relational, an invitation to talk with Papa God. If you don't have a personal calling statement, now is a great time to create one. Start with what you know from God about you and move out from there. What are you called to be, know and do? Put it in writing and review it weekly, or at the least monthly.

Move to where you are going.

What is on the horizon for you with God, your family, your ministry, your employment? How do these opportunities help you with that, or are they filling time? What is God saying on the midst of all this?

For example, I had an opportunity to be a part of a free master class on writing thqt begins shortly. I know that God has called me to write more and after looking at it in light of who I am and called to be, I said, "yes". Now this will change and impact my schedule in the near future, but it is a temporary sacrifice that I am willing to endure because of my priorities.

Be open for the audible by God.

Denver Bronco fans are familiar with former quarterback, Peyton Manning calling out assignments and audibles from the line of scrimmage; the famous "Omaha" for example. Be open to God calling audibles. You might feel an inner nudge to turn on that particular web feed, or watch that new movie or video. Check in with Papa and see what He says, even if it seems cross purpose to your calling and direction. He may want to open something or connect you with someone.

Watch crowding your calendar.

It can seem like because something is available, you must have it. But we run a risk of crowding God out with really good things because we have FOMO or are bored. Why do you need wall to wall coverage in the evenings right now? Is it so you don't feel alone?Are you crowding your schedule because you are afraid of what you will find when you are quiet?

Where is your truly, quiet time? Do you have solitude in the midst of this, not lonely time, or alone time, but solitude where you reflect, pray and think, deeply? If we crowd our calendars with even good things like global meetings, regional seminars, local experiences, et. al., have we not reverted back to part of the problem before the COVID virus? Maybe the issue wasn't our "busyness" in the external, but our fear of quiet in the internal life. It is true that we tend to recreate who we are in our internal world and see it come to fruition in the external world. Maybe the chaos that surrounds us isn't found in our circumstances, but the set our own internal, chaotic world.

If that's the case, I have really good news for you. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is ready, willing and able to help you calm your heart in these times so you come out of it even more like Him and moving from rest rather than frantically searching for it. He stand without condemnation saying, "Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy laden... Come to Me and find rest for your souls..."

But, you may have to log off for a minute or two.

I know, I know, I am as well.