On Busyness

Busyness.

 

I both love it and hate it.

 

More than strong feelings, though, I want to have a good perspective on busyness.  God's perspective on busyness.

 

I think our society has an obsession with busyness.  Even in (and maybe especially in) Christian circles it's glorified.

 

Being busy is supposedly evidence that we are valuable and important.  So we try to stay busy because we want to feel valuable.  We want everybody to know how busy we are.  (How many conversations go like this, "Hey, how are you doing these days?"  "Oh, fine, you know.  I'm doing x, y, and z."  "Oh, wow!  You're so busy!"  "Yeah...")  We encourage others to do a lot because it's a good thing, right?

Or is it?

 

I've been asking the Lord to change my thinking in this area, because it's one I've always struggled with.  In my horror and fear of laziness (or the mere accusation of laziness), I've thrown myself headlong into busyness...only to find this tangle actually pulls me away from the Lord.  Even if it's doing good stuff.  Even if I think it's for Him.

 

This busyness (i.e. the things I do) has slowly morphed into who I am.  Or more accurately, who I think I am.  The girl who teaches Sunday School, the girl who studies French, the girl who cooks and cleans and listens and a hundred other things.

 

But I'm not.  That's just what I do (or did).  No, I am the girl desperately in need of grace, the girl who is loved so lavishly by God.

 

This isn't just philosophical.  This isn't just theology to throw around.  This is truth and it should affect our lives - my life

 

I can't find my identity or security in busyness.  I shouldn't even be looking there.  My identity is in Christ.  My security is in the fact that I'm loved by Him no matter what or how much I do.  That means when some voice keeps whispering that I should do more, try harder, make sure I'm grabbing every opportunity that comes my way...that voice is not from God.

 

It goes even further.  I need to stop cramming my schedule and my mind to its limit, or rattling off everything I'm doing as if I'm trying to impress people.  I don't need to be uncomfortable if there are times when I'm not busy.  When I don't have things planned.  Sometimes, perhaps just being is exactly what God would like for me.  (Remember how Mary sat at Jesus' feet instead of helping Martha serve?  He said one thing is necessary, and that Mary had chosen that one thing.)

 

Of course, the flip side is that I don’t need to freak out in the busyness.  There will be seasons like that - I can accept it and know that it won't always be that way.  To paraphrase one of my favorite authors, even in those times, I can sit down - at least on the inside - and trust Jesus to live through me.

That's a big struggle for me.  But I'm thankful that God is such a patient teacher.