the "o" word

So, I might just have done a happy dance today when I got back into my office at 1:40 pm to find out that my 2:00 pm meeting had gone home for an early weekend!  For every one project I got done today, pretty sure three more popped up.  It's kind of like that blasted whack-a-mole game.  For every email I responded to, more came up in their place!  I can't keep up!  Why is it too much of even a GOOD thing(s) is BAD???

I'm a shut down person.  When I get overwhelmed instead of taking things one step at a time, I get so overwhelmed that I don't want to do any of it anymore.  I think something similar happened to the Israelites.  For 70 years, the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon ... because of ... can you guess??  Wait for it.  Wait for it.  DISOBEDIENCE!!  Shocker!  The Babylonians demolished EVERYTHING!  The wall ... the temple .. their homes ... their families.  In 538 BC, King Cyrus allowed the Israelites to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.  Why?  Because God moved in Cyrus's heart.  Check out his decree (in Ezra 1:2-3)

" 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you—may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.' "

WOW, huh?  Gives me hope that God can change ANY heart.  You would think the Israelites would be doing a happy dance of their own.  But ... no.  In the end, only the tribes of Bejamin and Judah returned ... with a handful of stragglers from other tribes.  Now commentators will list those who returned to be about 49,000 ... that's a LOT.  But, there were TEN other complete tribes who stayed behind in a foreign land.  In camptivity.  Because it was "comfortable."  It was known.  It was "safe."
 
But that's another story for another day.  Of those who went, the task was overwhelming.  They started to rebuild the temple, only to stop because it just wasn't the same. They laid the foundation of the temple and then the stopped ... for SIXTEEN years.  Because it was hard.  To keep rebuilding the temple meant they had to place rebuilding their lives on the backburner.  To rebuild the temple meant they had to forego the splendor that it once held.  It just wasn't measuring up and they got discouraged and they quit. It was overwhelming... too much.
 
Same thing with my day.  It was good.  I got some BIG things done.  I had some important meetings.  I saw some of my favorite people.  I got to sit with someone I hadn't seen in years and laugh about the past.  And then I came home and the emails kept coming and the facebook messages kept rolling in and I didn't go for a run (despite the fact that I am still dressed for it) ... and I didn't finish my Mexico report (yet again) ... and I didn't answer the questions from the missionaries in Peru.  I quit.  And I might just have fallen asleep on the couch ... until now.
 
And not that that's bad for a night ...
 
But, how often do we put our own desires and what we want before what God has called us to do?
 
Do we tend to our own "house" while neglecting the ministry God has put in front of us?
 
Are we selfish with our time, resources, lives?

Do we quit when it feels overwhelming?
 
This is what Haggai says ...

A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: "The people procrastinate. They say this isn't the right time to rebuild my Temple, the Temple of God."

Shortly after that, God said more and Haggai spoke it: "How is it that it's the 'right time' for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, God's Temple, is in ruins?"

And then a little later, God-of-the-Angel-Armies spoke out again:

"Take a good, hard look at your life.

Think it over.

You have spent a lot of money,

but you haven't much to show for it.

You keep filling your plates,

but you never get filled up.

You keep drinking and drinking and drinking,

but you're always thirsty.

You put on layer after layer of clothes,

but you can't get warm.

And the people who work for you,

what are they getting out of it?

Not much—

a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that's what.

That's why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said:

"Take a good, hard look at your life.

Think it over."

I think I'll think it over... first thing in the morning...