My best friend Natalie sent me this article, "The Busy Trap", from the NY Times. I think it's definitely worth a read: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/?src=me&ref=general
It really spoke to me because in my regular life (aka: not now), I am one of those 'busy people.' And I have to confess: I love it! I almost feed off the chaos. And it's great stuff that I keep myself busy with, don't get me wrong. It's church activities, Rotary & Rotaract volunteer stuff, outings with friends, meetings with new clients for work discussing innovative marketing ideas, speaking engagements for iNspired Generation, Chamber of Commerce breakfasts & luncheons, fundraisers for some great cause or another, family get togethers, and all kinds of other colorful, intellectually or socially stimulating activities that consume sun up to way past sun down.
On that note, here's a confession that might not come as a surprise: I tend to overcommit. You know the expression, 'your eyes are bigger than your stomach'? Well my good intentions & zeal time-out my daytimer.
But this trip has stopped me dead in my social-scheduling tracks. Everything we do is on Honduran time and at a Honduran pace. God is breaking me of busyness addiction and teaching me to be still and focus on what is in front of me!
So back to that article. One of my favorite parts is when the author says, "It’s hard to find anything to say about life without immersing yourself in the world, but it’s also just about impossible to figure out what it might be, or how best to say it, without getting the hell out of it again."
So true! I think that without being 'a busy person' in my former life in the USA, I wouldn't appreciate so much this precious time God has set aside for me to grow, focus, bond, and learn.
I like this pace: Honduran pace. It's not a pace I would ever choose for myself in the USA – probably b/c I would feel some strange sense of guilt or FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). So I stay busy! The weird part is, like the author of the article, I actually hate being busy. I hate when other people think I'm busy. I hate when they say things like, "I know you are really busy, but…" I don't want people to think I am too busy for them. I never want people to feel that way. I want to always live a life that has time for the people I love and time to serve people in need.
Look at Jesus. He lived a pretty full life. He healed the sick, loved the poor, honored his family, & trained up 12 discipling ninjas that basically turned the world upside down. His life is still echoing greatness all over the world- more than 2,000 years later, but they guy was NEVER in a hurry. He was NEVER too busy. He ALWAYS made time for people. That's the way I want to live. That's what I think God is teaching me.
As a matter of fact, in the midst of my thinking about all this, my little 'Jesus Calling' Devotional called me out about that the same thing! (side note about this little book: I decided not to bring mine b/c my bag was already overweight! But when I got to Launch in DC, I immediately regretted my decision. I missed it! Luckily a new friend of mine on F Squad saw me eyeing his own Jesus Calling book, and then gifted me with an extra one that he brought! Love it! Jesus was lookin out for me 😉 So glad to have this little book with me – it's such a blessing!)
Here's what my little devo had to say about busyness:
"Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young
Come away with me for a while. The world with it's nonstop demands, can be put on hold. Most people put Me on hold, rationalizing that someday they will find time to focus on me. But the longer people push me into the background of their lives, the harder it is for them to find me.
You live among peole who glorify busyness; they have made time a tyrant that controls their lives. Even those who know me as their Savior tend to march to the tempo of the world. They have bought into the illusion that more is always better: more mtgs, more programs, more activity.
I have called you to follow me on a solitary path, making time for Me is your highest priority and deepest joy. It is a pathway largely unappreciated and often despised. However, you have chased the better thing (spending time with God), which will never be taken away from you. Moreover, as you walk close to me, I can bless others through you.
Song of Songs 2:13
Luke 10:42
I'm not busy anymore. We are on Honduran time, at a Honduran pace — and I think it's just what I need.
