The Messiness of Multitasking
I am not good at multi-tasking in life. I think that I can multi-task, but God does a great job at humbling me. I also have this thing that I just can’t shake sometimes, it’s my pride. I let it get the best of me at times. If my plate is full, I have the wild idea that I can squeeze one more thing on and I can make it work, but that is not the case at all. This lesson of self-control, moderation, or boundary setting is something I have been learning for many years now. The sad part is that I have worn myself so thin at times because I have piled so much on my plate or thought I could handle it all myself. Statically people who multitask experience a 40% drop in productivity and take 50% longer to accomplish a single task.
I recently was in a tailspin chasing after so many things and not being fully present putting to one task at a time. I wanted to complete all the tasks at once. My ego, also known as my pride would not allow myself to say, “Hey, that’s enough, you are taking on too much.” I was attempting to study for three exams; one to help me advance in my career, one to help me launch my own business and one just for myself in school. All this was happening while growing and learning a new role I was promoted to at work. I was watching YouTube videos to see how to do all of my own repairs on my home that needs some loving.
I was doing this, on top of wanting to do all the summer things, Now, here is the craziest part, it is not like I do not have anyone to confide in, to tell me to take a breath, stop and relax. It was just that fleshly pride rising up again, telling me I did not need anyone.
As I type this article Psalms 61 is so prevalent aim my mind. Verses 1-4 say:
“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.”
I know that God can handle everything I have on my plate, even if I foolishly overload it. I felt like someone who was tied to a bouncy cable and running as hard as I could until I got the end of the tension of the rope and was pulled backwards. All the while God was just trying to show me that if I trust Him with my plans, my desires, my goals, then the rope would simply be cut and I would run into those things in His timing.
Often times I think that we get restless blessing syndrome. We get tired of waiting for the blessing, and although we have a hand full of blessings, there is always something else that we want, there is something else that we forget we have been praying for and we go to pick it up although our hands are full. The beauty of God’s blessings are that we can not force His hand, so when we get what we have been praying for, it is extra special and means that much more to us, because He has taken the time to build our blessings for us so carefully.
I encourage you to ground yourself in the word of God. Don’t fall for the trap of the enemy that would get us to believe that we are not growing, that we are not as blessed as our neighbor, or even that our friends don’t care about us or what we are going through. The flesh, is just flesh. Rebuke it and keep trusting God. He cares about you and knows the desires of your heart. If you are reading this now and you are still not feeling encouraged, I urge you to open your Bible to Jeremiah 29:11. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Simone loves to pretend to travel (Covid has completely stopped ALL her travel plans, which has allowed her to slow down and get a quarantine puppy. His name is Dudley Charles! She is a huge encourager and has a big heart. She is passionate about the things of God and His people. She also enjoys hanging out with friends and chasing fun adventures.