Too Much

Am I the only one who gets overwhelmed by the "too much" of this world?

Just walk down the cereal aisle in your local grocery store. Have you ever counted the varieties of cereal? I have contemplated it but for fear of my reaction have decided not to take an actual count. I'm convinced Cheerios alone has more varieties than I'd need in my lifetime.

And that's just one simple example.

Cable packages offer more and more and more channels.

Put a keyword into your search engine and voila, more websites are available at the click of your mouse than you could ever read.

Even at the age of my children - just 3 and 5 - there are opportunities for athletic teams, art classes, interest groups, playdates, etc. My three year old can't even write his name, but his schedule can be filled with something different each night.

And, so as not to pretend that this is something outside of my life that I just observe...come to my house...look in my closet or my children's toy box and see the "too much" of our life.

Today after meeting an old friend and a newer friend for coffee (seminary being the connecting point for the three of us) I found myself driving away overwhelmed by the idea of keeping up with people from each place in which my life has been located.

See, perhaps the most difficult thing for me isn't just that there is so much, but that there is so much that seems worth my time. Although I like to use the cereal aisle as an example, it really doesn't overwhelm me so much, it just illustrates the point. What overwhelms me are all the good causes, real needs, valuable people, important things that are asking for my time and that all too often I'm trying to give my time to.

I am remind of the times when people crowded around Jesus wanting his help and he had to say, "It's time to move on." I admire that. I wonder how he did it. I wonder if I can.

Whether it's saying goodbye to that sweater I never wear anymore but have great memories of or putting off letting my children get overcommitted or saying no to one more meeting or allowing a friendship to be a piece of history...I wonder how to know when it's time to walk away and where to find the courage.