Daily Devotional for August 17, 2022
Overloaded
“Are we almost there?” Noelle asked. “I can’t wait to go swimming!”
“There it is!” Cameron shouted as the car rounded a bend and the little cottage came into view. Dad parked by the front door, and Noelle and Cameron helped their parents unpack the car.
“I’m starving!” declared Cameron when they finished their work.
“Me too,” said Noelle. “When are we going to eat, Mom?”
“Soon,” Mom replied, getting out some sloppy joe meat, chips, and buns. She put the meat in a pan and turned on the burner. Then she plugged in the coffeepot. “How about macaroni and cheese with your sloppy joes?” she asked as she turned on another burner. Immediately, all the lights went off. “Oh no!” exclaimed Mom. “I must have blown a fuse.”
Dad got up and went to find the fuse box. “Looks like there are too many things on one of the circuits,” he said when he came back. “We’ll have to turn off a few lights whenever we want to use the stove.”
Soon their lunch was ready, and they sat down to enjoy it together. “This is fun,” said Noelle. “It’s our first real vacation in ages.”
“I know,” said Mom. “That overloaded fuse reminds me of our family lately. We’ve been so busy getting our business started and remodeling the house. Then with piano lessons, soccer practice, and homework, I think we’ve been overloaded too. We’ve been so busy that we haven’t had much time to spend together.”
Dad nodded. “Let’s evaluate our activities during this vacation and ask God to show us if there are ones we should cut out of our schedules so we have more time to rest and enjoy each other.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out a Bible. “We also need time to enjoy being with Jesus too. One way to do that is to spend time praying and reading His Word so He can remind us of His love for us and refresh our souls. Let’s do that as a family right now.”
“That’s one thing we should always make time for,” said Cameron. “That and soccer practice. But we could skip piano lessons,” he added with a grin. “And homework.”
Dad chuckled. “Sorry,” he said. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen!”
-Sherry L. Kuyt
How about you?
Have you been too busy lately? Are there too many activities packed into your schedule? Talk to Jesus about it, and ask Him to show you if some of them can be omitted. Don’t allow your schedule to get overloaded. Jesus recognized the need for quiet time, and we need that too. Leave room in your schedule to spend time with Him so He can refresh your soul.
Thank you for reading this Keys for Kids devotional! Did you enjoy the story? Has Keys for Kids been an encouragement to you and your family? If so, would you please consider supporting Keys For Kids Ministries in our effort to continue to provide these daily devotionals to children around the world?