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Key Bible Verse: But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer (Luke 5:16). Bonus Reading:Luke 4:42-44; 5:1-3, 15-16

I had a run of too much travel, too many meetings, and too many talks, and I was fatigued. I was complaining to a friend also involved in church work about my schedule, looking for some sympathy. He surprised me by asking why I chose to live like this.

I wasn't used to thinking about my schedule as a choice. It was more tempting to think of my level of busyness as a given, like living with air pollution or being a Cubs fan—which no one would choose, of course, but which if that were your lot in life you'd simply cope with as best you could.

"Why do you choose to be so busy?" he persisted, which made me uncomfortable because then I had to think about it. The only honest answer was that I was running on grandiosity. I was afraid that if I declined opportunities, they'd stop coming, and if opportunities stopped coming I'd be less important, and if I were less important, that would be terrible. I could cover my schedule over with a veneer of spirituality, trying to convince myself that it was all about service—but it was grandiosity all the same. I didn't want to acknowledge my need for things like rest, to admit I wasn't Superman. [continued 8/28]

—John Ortberg in The Life You've Always Wanted

My Response: An unrealistic aspect of my schedule is …

Thought to Apply: Time flies. It's up to you to be the navigator.

—Robert Orben (writer)

Adapted from The Life You've Always Wanted (Zondervan, 1997) by permission.

Copyright © 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Eternal Father, I know it's not Your plan for me to feel driven. Please reveal to me Your perspective on my time.

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