For the past year I
have been too busy to read a small booklet that was mysteriously placed on my
desktop. The booklet is titled Beating
Busyness by Adam R. Holz.
The quote on the back cover is what finally drew me into its pages. It says, “The emptiest lives are those
stuffed with motion from morning to night”
(David Henderson).
God wants us to make
motion while we work. But our lives must also be open, peaceful, and rested
up. The concept of not over stuffing your life is rooted in our Old Testament,
which states: “But six days you shall labor and do all of your work, but the
seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work
(Exodus 20:9-10b). To not
stuff your life pleases God.
Further, this is his design. Our lives are to be patterned into a work/rest
cycle.
Stuffed lives have no
rest cycle. Such lives do not include time for God, prayer, and have little
peace. We think we are pleasing God by doing much but we are not. For example,
take the story of Mary and Martha. Martha welcomes Jesus into her house. But as
he is there she ignores him, while her sister Mary lays at his feet. She is
fussing over meaningless details rather than enjoying her company. Obviously
Jesus isn’t pleased, he says “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered
about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the
good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). Mary had
chosen Jesus over crazy busy.
Which are you
choosing? Recently, one dear saint suggested to me that the word “no” was one
of the godliest words we could use when asked to do something more. He was
right!
The suggestion to say
“no” often falls on deaf ears, which results in most everyone, including me,
being too busy. Friends, this is a problem. It isn’t living, and I’m tired of
it. I’m weary from weeks that never seem to end, which bleed into new months,
seasons, and years. But there is hope; it may only be realized when we take
some Sabbath time away from everything. That is what it took for me. It was the
silence of the chukar hills, coupled with a full day ahead of me with nothing
to do but nothing. It was time with no phones, no computers, no alarm clock,
just soul rest. I was 15 again! I was without a care in the world except my thoughts
and prayers to God.
Regarding cares, do
you feel ruled by “the tyranny of the urgent?” If so, there is hope. And we can
change together. Now, I’m not suggesting that anyone do what I do. You can find
quiet and prayerful rest in your own home even with young children in the
house. That is, you don’t need to go anywhere, but you must fight busyness in
your life.
Now, how can we begin
to deal with the frenetic pace of our lives? Consider your answers to these
questions:
1. What does my life
really look like?
2. Why am I so busy?
3. How do I set my
priorities?
4. How can I learn to
make decisions that reflect God’s wisdom?
5. What is my real
mission in life?
6. What place should quietness, rest, and
personal retreat have in my life?
I am in the process
of repenting and sorting through busyness in my life. My weeklong vacation led
to me realizing that I must make better decisions with my time.
For now, may our Lord
richly bless you as you seek Him instead of seeking that next urgent task.
