Cramming
February 25, 2008 – 2:02 pm
cram https://secure.reference.com/premium/login.html?rd=2&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdictionary.reference.com%2Fbrowse%2Fcramming
v. crammed, cram·ming, crams
v. tr.
v. crammed, cram·ming, crams
v. tr.
To force, press, or squeeze into an insufficient space; stuff.
To fill too tightly.
To gorge with food.
To eat quickly and greedily.
Informal. To prepare (students) hastily for an impending examination.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cramming
How many of us know what this is all about? Students cram for exams or cram meals between part-time jobs and school work. I’m cramming right now - trying to
grab a few seconds to get another blog up because I’ve not met my own posting plan deadline. Of course I have to put something else on hold to make this happen
right now.
Families cram to find balance between work, church and home life and it is usually home life that gets attention last. People are working multiple jobs and
eating food on the run. Tim Horton’s was never so busy and one more store won’t make the other Tim’s locations suffer with revenue projections and realities.
We cram our lives full. We cram our stomachs with unhealthy, catch-a-meal-on-the-fly food and some even cram their minds with schemes to get rich quick or get ahead of the next person in line.
We cram our time with God often in the same way. We’re up too late to get sufficient rest so we can rise sufficiently early to have that much-needed time with God before we begin cramming all over again. There was a time when God might even get the time left over but that window is getting smaller all the time.
No, this is not working out. We have to decide what should be priority and organize accordingly. That will of course raise eyebrows and it could result in frustrating
phone calls and emails from people waiting on us because our delivery did not comply with their demands. Sometimes that’s the price we’ll pay for deciding to pace ourselves and focus on the important rather than the urgent.
Fact is, if we gave God his rightful place with our time, maybe we wouldn’t be cramming so much because we would give ourselves permission to give up on those
things that are not part of his design in the first place. We can afford to avoid the temptation or drive to compete. We wouldn’t have to worry about more jobs than we can handle because having more stuff wouldn’t consume us as much.
Yeah there’s a better way. Question is, do we want to explore it and live it?
For the moment, I have to go. Got a few more things to cram in before I finalize the agenda for tonight’s meeting.
