The best of life, finally getting the best of me.

So I started this week talking about how I feel like an addict in an AA meeting finally admitting my life is overwhelming, how busy is just getting the best of me and what's best for me is not getting any of me.

Pearl and I knew life had to simplify, something had to go, something had to change.

But what?

But how?

We felt frozen with the weight of life on top of us. 

So we had to say those words no red blooded American male wants to say, "I can't."

The funny thing is each week I teach students that God loves them period. That he's the god that nothing can push away, nothing can cause him to shy away, and there's nothing that he can't walk us through.

I tell them that, but it's funny how I wasn't fully telling myself that. I tell them God's able to help them no matter what, they just have to ask. So, I figured it was time for me to start asking myself.

I was challenged to actually pray recently, not just a passing prayer before we eat or as our mind slips from awake to sleep, but intentional focused prayer. Having things that we repeatedly talk to God about, saying, "I can't, but you can, so please... you know what is best and let's do that."

So our life, our marriage, our boys, our focus, our work both as pastors and photographers, our friends, our family have been on a list, a list that we're intentionally repeatedly talking to God about saying, "you know what's best, and we want to do that"

After reading the first few chapters of "Simplify" I found myself switching my prayer from help me do more, to help me simplify so what matters most is getting the most of me.

During this old words came to mind, "If I keep doing what I've always done, I'll always get what I've always got."

So what could change?

What's demanding my life/my attention/ my energy?

I thought through what could change with Pearl, the boys, being a pastor, being a photographer... and in the middle to thinking God did that silly thing he does when we actually take time to ask and to ask generally for help.

He answered by bringing to mind, a friend.

A friend named Lauren. She's is a gifted and full time photographer, We meet through Jeremy Hess Photographers. We have captured together, swapped gear, and both attend LCBC.

I felt God pushing to just call, to drop the facade of having it all together and to ask for help.

So I did, and within minutes of asking for help she delivered news that felt like fresh air mixed with caffeine for a tired soul.

She shared a of a wonderful editor that she, as well as other pro photographers in the area, use when they're overloaded. Then with a few text I was in the middle of conversations about what it would look like to outsource our editing.

This simple outsourceing may seem like common sense to you, or not a big deal, but the weight of working through the 8,132 images sitting on my iMac, many of which needed to be to clients already, was life giving.

Seriously, just asking for help, getting help, and seeing a solution has caused Pearl and I to both feel like life just got easy.

That it just got simpler!

So today now that the weight of editing is off my chest I'm asking, "what else am I doing that I really don't have to to keep doing? What simple changes can bring big relief?  Where do I just need to notice the people God has put around me and share life with them and see what happens?"

Thank you Jesus that you never meant for us to do life alone, and that when we ask for help you really do help, if we're willing to pause, listen, and admit we need it.

Happy Friday.