The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: BUSY (02/02/17)
Busy Working

“Guess I’m gonna have to retire this shirt…” lamented one of my teenage sons, as he tugged on his shirttail, which was now riding above his belt buckle.

“Hmmm,” I responded, slightly amused at his choice of words. “…I had no idea it had worked that hard…”

He shook his head and grinned warily at me. The rule around here is, if it’s a “Mom joke”, everyone is required to laugh. He tried.

The thought just struck me as humorous. A shirt can “retire”. …From doing what? -Riding around, resting on someone’s back? Shirts never strike me as really being that busy or working that hard. Now, the guy IN the shirt on the other hand - there’s another story…

I’m busy. I put in way more hours than any shirt – even if it does say “Cross Country Runner” on the front of it. I’m the one doing marathons around here. So right about here is where I begin to wonder if this is the abundant life Jesus said He came for me to have…or just the busy life that I gave myself…

Jesus never calls me to be busy. He did say I had some work to do though. “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John 8:29 NIV). Jesus didn’t seem too impressed with all the busyness the disciples exemplified to keep the boat afloat during the raging storm on the lake. As a matter of fact, He retired to a cushion, and slept through the whole thing. The disciples were definitely busy - doing. Jesus showed them how to work – at believing…“Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25 NIV). Their busyness had brought them fear. Jesus understood the work of believing…brings rest.

Now there’s something I could use more of. Rest. In order to receive it, I’ll have to stop working on being busy, and start being busy working. And perhaps, like a good running shirt, if I work hard enough, I’ll even be able to retire…
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 481 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Dennis Gallemore
02/11/17
The other day I realized I was letting busyness take over my life. When reviewing my entry for Saturday afternoon in my Day Timer, I had penciled in "rest." Thanks for sharing with everyone!
Caleb Cheong 
02/14/17
I like the humor of a shirt that retires. If the shirt could talk, would it speak out its mind? It is also personification here when the shirt is retired due to age.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
02/16/17
You have a delightful sense of humor. I fully enjoyed your message and thought it quite timely. Your words spoke to my heart. God bless.
Judy Ewald
02/16/17
Congratulation on 3rd place. that was a good message. There was a time I was very busy wore it like something of value, but it was a false value. Now my value is being obedient to what the Lord has for me.