Work, baseball lessons, small group, family time, grocery shopping, connecting with friends, church, meetings, chores, date night, errands – and the list goes on. I hear it said from parents, teens, family members, and probably from my own lips that we, as a society/culture, seem busier than ever.
Whether that is factual or not isn’t the point. In 2019, we are busy.
Just to plan to connect with a friend for a simple lunch can become a belaboring task. I often am planning simple events a month ahead to be sure I can make it happen. I personally like being busy. It seems to give me energy and keep me on task to get more done. My wife laughs at me as I usually have more energy after being with people or at an event than I had beforehand. But the reality is that it takes a toll.
I understand that we have a lot of good things that we and our families are involved in. We have to work, we want to be at all the church functions, sports hold a place of importance, and the school play is a great way to be involved in school. Those are all “good things,” and we can grow as people by allowing them to be a part of our lives.
That. There – what I just said is the catch. They need to be a part of our lives.
We are being ruled by busyness and commitments, by having our hands in too many pots, and I am as guilty as anyone.
Then, I hit a wall. Over a time of staying busy, life beats me down.
I believe Satan wants us in the position of busyness and fear. Stay busy, even with serving and good opportunities, and you won’t have time to rest and hear from God in the quiet. We have a real issue with trusting God, the Creator of the Universe, because we feel the need to be in control of our futures. This makes me think of the time Jesus spent with Martha and Mary in Luke 10.
When Jesus comes into the village, Martha welcomes Him into her home and begins to serve. This is a great gesture and seems to be what we should do. Her sister Mary, on the other hand, sits with Jesus, spending time with Him and listening. When Martha questions this, Jesus responds with wisdom:
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; Mary has chosen the good portion which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42
I often get overrun with busyness and good things to do, but Jesus is saying we need to trust Him, find rest, and just listen.
Am I going to make everything happen on my own or allow Him to care for my future? As much as I want to work out life on my own, I can’t put God in a box of my own life. I need to slow down and submit my time to Him.