Off the Merry-Go-Round

There’s never enough.

Never enough money, energy, time. Always struggling. Always two steps behind. Short on promotion points, groceries, hours in the day. Piling up the laundry, bills, fires needing to be put out. We’re left ever breathless, worried, exhausted. And we unintentionally teach our children that being an adult is oppressively stressful, being a parent is miserable, and things just get more hopeless the older you get.

Surely life isn’t supposed to be this way. We desperately want off this merry-go-round.

No, it’s not supposed to be this way. God offers us so much more, yet we continue in our ways, trying to do it all in our own strength. The words of God to the Israelites, through the prophet Haggai, lock on the target of our heart:

You harvest less than you plant, you never have enough to eat or drink, your clothes don't keep you warm, and your wages are stored in bags full of holes.

Haggai 1:6 (CEV)

Decades before God spoke through Haggai, God’s temple had been destroyed and the Israelites had been sent away from their homeland. When their time in exile had ended, God brought them home with instructions to rebuild the temple. They started strong, but then became distracted. (Wouldn’t have any idea what that’s like, would we?) The Lord sent Haggai to help them think it through: If you obey God’s words, you will prosper, he said. If you put God first, all other things will fall into place.

While we may not be tasked with building a physical temple, the principle remains true. When we put the Lord first in our lives, other things will fall into place—in the right order of priority. In the end—and in the ways that really matter—we will prosper. We can stop the merry-go-round.

In today’s busy world, keeping the Lord first proves extra difficult. And in military life, it proves extra necessary. Our duties and responsibilities may pull us from church, small groups, and Bible studies. The daily demands dull our zeal for devotional times, prayer, and time enjoying God’s presence. The work environment doesn’t encourage godly endeavors or thinking.

So, we must fight harder to start with God. We must recognize when we’re feeling overwhelmed with consuming work with nothing to show for it, when our dreams seem further and further away, and when our resources drop into a black hole leaving us spent in every way. At those times we must stop and consider where we are with God . . . and how we got there.

Our hope comes from the same place the Israelites’ hope did. In Haggai 1:13 (GNT), the Lord assures them, “I will be with you.” And his presence is always more than enough.

Pray

God, I’m overwhelmed and feeling a bit lost. I can’t seem to make headway. Show me where I’ve wandered away from you. Help me to give priority to my relationship with you because nothing else really matters. Our family needs you first. Amen.

Time to Talk

Conversation starter for kids: Provides you with questions and prompts to facilitate a time of applicable discussion with children to lead them towards knowing God and His Word more deeply.

Question(s): How do you feel when your mom and dad are stressed? How can we make God a priority in our family life?

Apply: Be open to apologizing to your children if you have let stress get the best of you and put a strain on your relationship with them. Let them know that you’re committing to put God first and go to him for rest and peace when life is overwhelming, and encourage them to do likewise.

Keep It Going

Related passages: These additional verses will help parents expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Matthew 6:33