Sunday, November 1, 2009

Busy People

Busy is a four-letter word. It’s easy to get caught in the busy trap. Sometimes I have so much going on that I’m left feeling stressed out, exhausted, and truly concerned that I’ll end up friendless in my old age because I don’t make time to spend with the few friends I have now.

But I know I am not alone.

In spite of what we may think, God never intended for any one person to do everything. Most of us need to think carefully about how we spend our time. We have to learn to say NO to some of the “opportunities” that come our way and examine the activities we’re currently involved with to determine which ones are really necessary and what things can be eliminated.

Before we can do this, we must search our hearts and invite God to help us see why we’re driven to do so much. Once we understand what need is being met through our busyness, we can let the Lord meet that need. He can and will meet every need in a way that will bring us peace, not stress, fulfillment, not frustration.

We have to admit that we can never do enough. There will always be some other cause to which we can donate our time. There will always be someone else who wants us to get involved. There are people sitting on the sidelines doing nothing because everything’s already taken care of; they aren’t needed. If we stepped down and didn’t do everything, someone else would have to take our place. And once we’ve given that up, we must resist with all our strength the urge to get our hands back in there and take over because “only we know how to do things right.” Those sitting on the sidelines will need to figure things out, just as we once did. We’ll give advice if asked, but otherwise, we’ll bug off!

Let’s go out and play with the kids and have lunch with that friend we’ve been neglecting. Let’s have a movie night with our sweethearts, or pour ourselves a cup of something hot to drink, wrap up in a big afghan, and cuddle up on the couch with that novel we’ve been meaning to read. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.

Gotta go now, it’s time for my hour-long bath!

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