Balance in a BUSY world

November 11th, 2007

I find that when asking someone 'How are you doing?' a common response is usually, "I am so busy." Many times I stop to think, what does 'busy' really mean? Is it just a common 'canned response' that everyone gives? Or are we so busy being busy that we can't stop to think of anything else to say?

So I checked it out in Websters and found that busy means to be actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime, not at leisure; otherwise engaged, full of or characterized by activity,meddlesome, clashing in design or colors; cluttered with small, inharmonious details, to keep occupied.

I am so actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime. Activities that sometimes may be meddlesome, clashing, and small just to keep me occupied.

Then I checked out to see what God's word had to say about busy.

Luke 10:40 said that Martha, overly occupied and too busy was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone?

John 9:4 said "That we must work the works of Him Who sent Me and be busy with His business while it is daylight; night is coming on, when no man can work."

2 Corinthians 5:10 says "For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil, considering what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing.

I recently conducted a women's survey and asked 300 women, 'what prevented them from having an intimate relationship with the Lord?' 45% of those women indicated it was time and over commitments. WOW! That is an alarming number.

How easy it is to get so caught up in the daily 'to do' list that we so easily forget the most important relationship in our lives. I am so guilty of that myself. Being a detailed, organized person I LOVE to have my check list and check things off as I go. I feel a great sense of accomplishment in doing so. I am so much like Martha, I am busy in the kitchen getting dinner prepared for the company and managing all the details that I become angry and irritated, feeling like 'I am doing everything'. I muttle to myself, 'When is someone going to stop and help ME?' Sometimes having that daily quiet time becomes just a check on my 'to do list'. I am guilty of rushing through, so I can move on to the next thing. Unfortunately, I am Martha many more times in day than I am Mary, who simply sat at the Lord's feet listening and growing in that relationship.

John 9 says that we must be busy with HIS work, because soon the daylight will be gone and the night will fall and we will not be able to work. WOW! That is powerful. It makes me stop and think, those days that I rushed through my 'to do list', did I ever once stop and ask, seek, and listen to what God's plan was for me that day? MY number of daylight hours is clicking by and when my judgement day comes, how will I account for my 'busy' days? 2 Corinthians reinforces that when our day comes to account for all of our business, what will that account look life, both good and bad.

There is a beautiful song, called 'Word of God Speak'. It is soothing and calming and when I hear it, it reminds me of the importance of needing to be quiet and just listen to God speak. In today's society, quiet is a seldom attained. We can't even go to the grocery store with out back ground music. We are constantly being stimulated. My youngest daughter was grounded this past week from playing with friends, watching TV, and playing on the computer. For 7 days she had to fill her time with other activities and what I discovered after 12 years of parenting, that decreasing her stimuli actually improved our relationship. I am a slow learner! While at the start of the week, I questioned was the grounding going to be harder on me than her. It turned out to be a great lesson for BOTH of us! We found time to talk more, do some 'quiet' activities and grow our relationship.

So I caution you today the next time you are pressed to say 'I am so busy', stop for a moment and think, what AM I busy doing. Am I caught up in tasks that are producing good for the Kingdom or I am just busy being busy, filling my time, because sometimes it is too hard to sit and be quiet, for fear of what I may discover.

Finding a balance, carving out time EVERY day just to pray, mediate on His Word, to listen and to hear. I pray today that you are able to carve out some time just to be quiet and listen. What is He saying? He is yearning for a relationship with YOU! A personal, deep, authentic relationship. He is your best friend and He knows every need, worry, and thought. Matthew 10:30 says, "Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered'

So I encourage you today, as you strive to seek a balance in your life, start by carving that time out EVERY day to spend with the Lord. Just to be quiet and to listen to what He has in store for you for the day. Trust me the 'to do list' looks much less daunting when you do and although intimating at first, like grounding my daughter from all TV, computer, and friends I was worried about 'could I handle it', it turned out to be the BEST decision for both of us!

Proverbs 11:1 says, "A FALSE balance and unrighteous dealings are extremely offensive and shamefully sinful to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight."

Jill