KANDI FARRIS: Find peaceful contrast to the busyness of life

Seasons change and I'm in a different one myself, but the countdown to Thanksgiving and Christmas still reminds me of the busy season with a household of young'uns. I recall the countless hours of rushing from school to games to practices to meetings, to work and back to the chores at home. This is for those of you who are where I've been.

Zoom! Zip! Whoosh! That's the sound of the days whizzing by. Countless days, scores of hugs and immeasurable memories can be lost in the blur of blind busyness. No focus, just rushing. It's been said, "If you aim at nothing, you're bound to hit it."

Y'all, it seems like the handle on things like "time" has fallen off. It's time to refine the goals. They tend to get lost in a fog of the fast and the furious. For me, life can still resemble a sweetened-caffeine buzz of movement, swirling around, trying to hit something on the "to do" list. A whirlwind of activity takes the day captive and joy is out the door.

I know it's not just me. There was the fellow's weariness as he rushed to catch a plane. I saw the drooping shoulders of a mama chasing kids. And you, friend, I heard you at a meeting say with a deep sigh, "I'm fine, I'm just really busy!"

The best way to describe this feeling of being caught in a whirlwind is to actually wind up in a serious swirl of dust. Years ago I made the "forever" drive across the state of Texas. Our car got engulfed in a dust storm lasting for miles and miles. It was impossible to see more than a quarter of a mile in front of the car. I still don't know how we kept driving, except we were too scared to stop. We didn't know where it was safe to land.

Now, that'll preach. Many of our lives resemble that remark. We continue in a cyclone of mindless busy. We can't focus on a landing spot; it all looks the same. There's no depth of field, no features in the landscape, simply a blanket of sameness. One day runs into another, one meeting, one ball game and one more problem. It's all mashed up together with no design. Hold 'er, Newt.

Usually the only thing that puts the skids on us spiraling into the whirlwind's tube is a goal, an anchor and contrast in the horizon. As a young lady once told me, we need contrast; contrast is good. The contrast of despair is hope. The contrast of lost is found. The contrast of unbridled busyness is a reworked calendar that yields peace. We need contrast to find our way out of nowhere to somewhere. We can be busy and busted or busy and blooming. How do we land there?

My ticket from broken to whole is allowing God to lead; He's the beacon of direction. So, if you want out of the blinding whirlwind you're in, may I offer one of my illuminating verses: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 4:6-7.

Now, that's a peaceful contrast that hits the bull's-eye, y'all. Happy Thanksgiving.

Kandi Farris, a freelance correspondent, also is a speaker on matters of faith and values.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 7:20 PM with the headline "KANDI FARRIS: Find peaceful contrast to the busyness of life ."