Being busy is bad…That would be false.  There is nothing wrong with being busy and having things to do.  It’s a part of our lives.  If you have kids like Amber and I, you know that they definitely keep you on your toes as they get older with their different activities.  We certainly have no shortage of it in our family.  On top of work, church, and the many other things that encompass life, we often find ourselves in a place where we are just on the go, non-stop.

I question though, our motives for staying so busy all the time every single day.  We rarely take the time to let our spirit, soul, and body recover.  The only time this happens is maybe during a week in the summer and maybe at Christmas time.  Otherwise, we are back to the grind.  Why is it though?  Why do  we live lives that are just crammed full of things to do?  I was listening to a Ransomed Heart audio recording this morning and something profound hit me.  John Eldredge made the statement that busyness gives us a false sense of power and a sense of importance.

That’s a pretty strong statement.  I know many people that pride themselves in being busy.  They feel like its a good thing to always have something to do.  But why?  Is there something to the distraction of being constantly busy that keeps us from things in our lives or allows us to hide?  I look around and people are always in a hurry going from what thing to the next.  Going from meeting to meeting, from conference call to conference call, and flying through stores and down yhe road to the next destination.  It’s a constant race with heads and eyes ahead focused on the next task.  We have to go faster and faster and for what?

This past Sunday, I had a few hours at home to myself.  I had finished my papers for school and had literally nothing to do for a little bit.  I stepped on my back patio and just sat there letting my mind go.  A true time of Sabbath; of rest.  At first I was itching for something to do.  I then stopped myself thinking, ‘what’s up with that?’  I don’t need to be doing something.  It’s a distraction.  I had force myself to literally do nothing.  It’s so important in life that slow down.  Yes there are things to get done and responsibilities we have to our family and jobs, but if we let our busyness run our lives, it will flat wear us down and distract us from the real issues and the important things of this life.

Slow down and take time to let God in.  Don’t let your life get so distracted by constant routine that you even lose site of your faith.  It can happen, trust me.  About a year ago, I was hard charging in my faith journey.  The problem was I was only focused on the ritual (going to church, reading Scripture daily, journaling) and not true growth.  I let life get in the way and for a few months, found myself pulled away.  It took effort to get myself back in focus again and then God’s hands began to work.

We have to make the choice in how we live our daily lives.  Do we let busyness rule the day or do we actually take time to slow down and actually live?  As Eldredge also discussed, we have a thousand small choices to make and those thousand small choices can make all the difference in our lives.  Check your motives and get to understand, even in asking God, what drives your daily life and the busy schedules we keep.  See if your motives are driven by faith or something else.  Understand the motives of your life and take an account of what you do and why.  Don’t waste your life in a state of constant go, go, go.

Check your motives, slow down, and seek the Lord’s guidance in everything you do with full devotion and surrender to Him.  I know that’s easy to say, but once you learn to let go, you’ll begin to realize the things that you were doing that meant nothing and then learn where you should be focused instead.  It’s pretty amazing to feel and see. I’ve lived it and continue living it out everyday.  It’s not always easy as the demands continue coming, but when you can live life not worried about what others think should be done and just on what your Lord thinks should be done, wow!  It’s a whole new perspective on everything.