“Stop the Glorification of Busy” I read as I scrolled through quotations on Pinterest. “That’s right!” I said to myself as I pinned it to my “Inspiration” board. “We need to stop being so busy so we have time for the things that really matter.”
Well, what I should have said was, “YOU need to stop being so busy so YOU have time for the things that really matter.” Don’t you love how people do that? They say “we” feel this way or “we” think this when they come to you about some opinion that they have. They need their backing and, apparently, so did I!
It all came full circle late last Saturday night, the night before our church picnic and baptism at the lake. I was scrolling through instagram and saw a friend and church member’s photo of a beautiful, colorful pile of vibrant green and red rhubarbs. Her caption read, “Homemade rhubarb strawberry pie coming to a church picnic near you.” Strawberry rhubarb pie? That sounds delicious!
My mind raced back to earlier in the day when my mom, who lives with us, asked me, “What are you making for the picnic tomorrow?” I replied, “I wanted to do something else, but it has been such a busy week. I am going to toss some baked beans in the crock pot and throw together a hash brown casserole.” It truly was a busy week, but was it really that busy? Hmmm…I know Ms. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie very well. No one is as busy as she is, but she still had time to make a homemade pie.
How many times have we said, “I know we need to get together, but I have just been so busy.” “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your email, but this week was so busy.” “I know I need to call that friend and check on her, but life is just so busy” “I know we need to make time for meaningful friendships, but our schedules are just so busy”.
Dr. Phil has a famous saying, “When you use the word “but”, it means forget everything I just said and this is what I really mean”. If you apply that principle to the above paragraph, the message I am giving is, “I am just too busy!!” “I have glorified busyness and it’s my answer for why I can’t do the things I really want to do.
We all remember the story of Mary and Martha found in Luke, Chapter 10. Jesus came to the home of Martha and her sister, Mary. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus while Martha busied herself in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.” The Master said, “Martha, you’re getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”
We chastise Martha for being busy but at least she was busy for the Lord. Most of our busyness has nothing to do with the Lord and actually keeps us from Him. We are so tired from work, school, classes, soccer, gardening, swim lessons, me time and everything else that we end up sacrificing all the wrong things.
We don’t give God or each other our best when we glorify “busyness”. This is a life principle that my husband taught me that has stuck with me: “You will make time for what is important to you. You will be where you want to be and nothing can stop you. You will do what you want to do and you will make time for the relationships that are important to you.” Wow! Truth!
I don’t want to glorify “busyness”. I want to glorify God, His goodness, His great love for people – the world needs for us to make this a priority. I believe our hearts, our families, our churches, our communities would change if the body of Christ would give up some of our “busyness” and focus on the “business” of eternal things.
~Kristine Morgan
Pastor’s Wife
