Most people today feel overwhelmed with busyness. It is really a fact of life. All the gadgets that were supposed to free us up to do other things, actually take up more of our time than the old calendar and type writer did. (Maybe we should consider getting rid of some of these anxiety-causing gadgets!)
Let’s pause for a moment, take a deep breath. Now tell yourself it is okay to be busy. The reality is no one is too busy to do the things that matter most, because we each will prioritize what is most important to us. If we continually feel that we don’t have enough time to pray or be still before God in His Word, I challenge you right now to stop and think hard about what is taking the place of those things. Extra sleep? Getting to work 30 minutes early? Going to the gym? Whatever it is, let’s stop making excuses and discipline ourselves to do what matters most first.
But again, it is okay to have a busy life. However, it’s absurd to have a busy soul.
We often confuse a busy life with a busy soul. It’s not the busy life that causes stress – it’s the busy soul. When our soul is busy, it feels like we are operating on the edge of a cliff. To many people, life seems to be a disjointed mess. The result is we fail to see the “story” God is writing in our lives.
Understanding God’s “story” in our busyness is a key to good health, spiritually, emotionally and physically. When we recognize the path God has us on, when we see the direction He is taking us, when we understand the bigger picture, the busyness of our lives becomes controllable, because it’s understandable. David writes, “… in God my soul finds rest.” A soul connected to God, no matter what’s happening around it, is a soul at peace.
As we pray, we must focus on our relationship with our Heavenly Father, rather than on the things we want to get, or the things we want Him to do. And as our relationship with Him blossoms, observe as He uses our prayers to transform us into a beautiful work of art. Watch and see how He will proclaim His marvelous works through us to co-workers; how He will change our attitude toward our boss; how He will involve us in things that awaken deep longings in our hearts.
When our souls are content, we will begin to truly live. Rather than just sucking air and eating groceries, we’ll know His presence – we’ll feel His joy. Our souls will be calm and still before Him, and all the busyness of life will cease to create the stress it used to.
Instead of focusing on your busyness, focus on His business.
OPEN USA supports workers in the 10/40 Window, who are doing Business for Transformation. This author’s identifying information has been withheld due to security reasons. To learn more about OPEN USA and B4T, visit Find Yourself in B4T.