I have heard the old saying “stop and smell the roses” since I was a kid.  That concept never meant anything to me until our son was born just over three years ago.  Until that moment time was just something that ticked by…seconds to minutes to hours to days –you get the picture.  When William was born things changed.  Time began to mean something to me…especially since it seemed to fly by (even during the nights when there was less than enough sleep).  As the days and months passed time began to seem like my arch-enemy.  The daily grind seemed to team-up with time to come against me in every part of my life.  The “mental schedule” seemed to dominate.  After a few months I found myself simply existing…going through the same routine each and every day.  Even my devotion time with the Lord simply became part of my daily routine.  In my mind I was “doing” but not really “enjoying”. 

Almost a year ago in my devotion time with the Lord it hit me…I needed to “stop and smell the roses.”  I needed to stop and count my blessings.  I needed to slow down and enjoy everything God had given me.  I realized I needed to give my busy schedule to Jesus (no person on this earth has ever been busier than our Lord was when we ministered) and let Him take care of us.  I needed to enjoy life. 

So what did I do?  Through the Lord’s help I let my guard down –and threw that “mental schedule” out the window.  I began to do little projects with my son like fixing a cabinet that wasn’t really broken, telling him a story, playing with trucks…that type of thing.  I began taking time-out with my wife…sitting on the couch with her and enjoying our favorite Andy Griffith episodes.  I began to meditate on the Lord as I lay down to sleep…asking Him to make me the man, husband, father and pastor I needed to be & thanking Him for this wonderful life He has given me.  I began to think about how much fun it was to play basketball with my son that day and how much of a blessing it was to finish the day cuddling with my wife and laughing about the events in Mayberry.

Are you struggling with the “mental schedule?”  My advice would be to “smell the roses” --give your daily schedule to Jesus.  Remember to stop and enjoy what the Lord has given you.  Most of all take time to praise & thank the Lord for those very blessings.  God will honor it and your life will begin to change.  God bless!!