Too busy not to!

My study leave begins on Thursday. There simply aren't enough hours between now and then to do all that must be done before I leave - preaching, praying, teaching, praying, cooking, praying, shopping, praying, packing, praying.... At times like these it is so important that prayer doesn't get squeezed out of the picture.
As well as being built up by spending time with God, I have also been conscious this week of being emptied - not because God isn't interested in all the frenetic activity but because God is skilled at creating space within us to take on more and, in the silence and stillness, God speaks and directs and achieves what, in the whirlwind, seems impossible.
It's a relief to know that God doesn't require us to retreat before we can be refueled (though I LOVE retreats) but that God is also skilled at taking our overstuffed lives and pouring grace in to settle in all the nooks and crannies.
The image in my head this morning is of an over full suitcase (not that I've even started packing yet) that God will skilfully rearrange so that there is still room for what is important.