The Sin of Busyness

In testimony to the saying that you never grow too old to learn, in the last year I have learned a valuable lesson that at once seems simple, and yet, we tend to ignore until it is too late. That lesson is not only using your time wisely, but setting time aside to live unhurried.

I’ve always been someone who has appreciated efficiency, even prior to spending my undergraduate time at Eastern Mennonite University studying organizational development and management. During that period I worked full time and completed my undergrad degree full time, while still trying my best to be there for my wife and my four year old daughter. Time management was essential, but I only viewed it as a means to an end. In other words, I had to fit a great deal of work into the same hours of the day that we all enjoy, and making everything fit was sometimes a challenge.

As I’ve grown older, I have been caught up like most folks into spending time rather than investing it. What I mean specifically is that I have filled my days with various activities, some of which truth be told, I’d rather leave behind. Why do we do this, and is it what god would have us do?

My first moment of clarity occurred several years ago when I had overloaded myself with responsibilities to the point that I couldn’t sleep or concentrate any longer. I was in the midst of one of many activities I had committed myself to when a friend asked me an important question. He looked at me and said, “You don’t look like you’re having much fun today.” I had to admit that I was distracted and was focusing on the next task of the day. He then said the obvious, but the thing I had let slip away from my consciousness, “If you’re not having fun with this, then why are you here?” I didn’t like the answer because it convicted me. The truth was, I was there because I felt obligated. I had committed myself. I had let my ego convince me that if I didn’t do it, nobody else would. I had let myself believe that I had to be busy.

We need to be honest with ourselves and realize that in our culture today, when we greet someone we almost always talk about what we have to do and how busy we are. It’s today’s badge of importance and we want to wear it proudly. We make ourselves believe that we don’t matter, or that we don’t measure up, if we aren’t constantly running from one task to the next.

The next time I gave this any thought I was sitting in Dubuque, Iowa speaking with the Director of Distance Education for the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. I had felt the nudge toward Seminary, and I was at their “Exploring Your Call Conference.” The discussion would fulfill the required interview before being admitted into their program, and I remember one question as it slid from her lips: “What do you plan on giving up so that you will have time to complete this program?” As I gave her the answer I figured she wanted to hear, in the back of my mind I was thinking that I’ve done an intensive program before, and this would be no different. I was wrong.

A few months later I was in the midst of my first semester of Seminary, and I was a mental mess. I had made commitments long before Seminary was on the radar, and now I was paying the price for overextending myself. I buckled down, and found ways to make sure everything was completed, but the price I paid was great. I was exhausted. I was grouchy. Just as before when working beside my friend, I was not having fun.

Don’t misunderstand me, I know that life is not a continual bowl of cherries, full of fun and laughter without a chance of pain or hardship. I’ve had my share of tragedy. However, there is a truth I hope you more than know, but rather enmesh into your existence without delay. That truth is that life is short and you were not created to always be busy.

God may speak to us in the winds of a hurricane, but probably more likely in that still small voice we drown out with our relentless pursuit of the next “big” thing. We need to calm ourselves and approach God in prayer and in peace, and listen for what he has to say, not what we are hoping to hear. It’s just not possible when we set our sights on doing something every waking moment of the day.

I can’t help but think of the story of Mary and Martha contained in the book of Luke. While Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, Martha is busy with the many preparations. Mary was more than just sitting- she was listening to what Jesus was saying. How different is this from our everyday lives? (Luke 10:38-42 NIV)

There is no doubt that we sometimes have to buckle down and get to work. There are times we have no choice but to choose work over rest, and study over a day outdoors, but as life unfolds around us we also have to choose to find time to connect with Jesus and to hear what he is saying. Don’t measure your worth by the number of events on your calendar, but by the quality of the time you spend with your family and with your God. Guard you time with the same vigilance with which you guard your eyes and ears, and invest your time by choosing to sit at Jesus’ feet.