The Deception Of Busyness

Busy is often worn as a badge of honor. Not only are we usually busy, we’re also in a hurry to get things done or running behind schedule. Sound familiar? Many of us aren’t just busy here and there. We’ve become chronically busy. It has become the state we live in. Corrie Ten Boom once warned that if the devil can’t make you sin, he’d make you busy. The reason is that busyness severs our connection with God and causes us to miss opportunities God has placed around us. Many of us are too busy to stop and be the Good Samaritan to the hurting and broken down people God places on our road. We pass them by because we don’t have time.

Jesus was never too busy to heal. In Luke 8, a Jewish official came to Him saying that his daughter was dying and in desperate need of healing. As He was on his way to heal her, He was interrupted by the woman with the issue of blood. She reached out and touched His robe to receive her healing. He stopped what He was doing to ask who touched Him. We have this beautiful story because He stopped along the way before going to raise Jarius’ daughter. We also know that He also would make time in his busy schedule to break away from the crowds to spend time with the disciples in a small group setting and also found time to be with God alone. Even though He had lots of demands on His time and Himself, He made sure He was never so busy that it severed His relationship with the Father.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (ESV). Have you allowed yourself to be so chronically busy that you’ve been borrowing time from the things that matter most? We can get so busy about the Father’s business that we fail to spend time with the Father if we’re not careful. Jesus modeled for us that we can be effective in our lives or ministry and still make time for the hurting, for mentoring and for praying. If you’re driving or walking past people you wish you could help, turning away people who interrupt your day that need you or are minimizing your quiet time, you’ve become chronically busy. Jesus offers us a place of rest from our laboring. He offers us holy moments throughout our day. Don’t get so busy that you miss them. If you are missing them, it’s time to break free from the deception of busyness.

Photo by Jake Blucker on Unsplash