Today’s Scripture: Proverbs 23:4 and 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12
I’ve spent time working in five different churches and in my time, I’ve discovered that these churches all have one thing in common: they are full of some of the busiest people I have ever met. Everyone is busy, but some of us have an amazing (and concerning) ability to be busy beyond belief. A colleague once called these congregation members at his church the “yes people.” You know who I mean – those people who will always say yes, who will burn the candle at both ends and exhaust themselves, even if they aren’t passionate about the work they are doing. For some reason, “yes people” seem to gather in churches – and that includes ministers!
The problem is that we were never intended to live as “yes people.” We were never meant to live busy, bustling lives, crammed full with work and school and hobbies and volunteering and social media and fill-in-the-blank. We were never intended to keep ourselves so on-the-go, regularly keeping our brains on information overload. Our scriptures teach us that from the beginning, we were intended to just stop sometimes. According to the book of Genesis, rest and recuperation are meant to be built into the very rhythm of our lives. Even in the busiest times of his ministry, Jesus himself took time away to be reenergized through prayer, quiet meditation, and personal time with close friends.
Today, I encourage you to do an inventory of where and how you spend your time. How much time do you on the essentials, like working, eating, caring for loved ones, and sleeping? How much time do you spend on non-essentials, like watching TV, hobbies, texting, etc.? What things are you doing that are the most life-giving and which are just things you to do zone out or pass the time? Perhaps most importantly, how much time do you take to just “be,” with yourself, with your loved ones, and with God? As you look over your inventory, where can you simplify? What non-essentials can you commit to letting go of in order to make more time for the things that matter?
Beware the barrenness of a busy life. – Socrates