Busy.

Now, before I share my recent ramblings, I feel it’s important to note the power and majesty of the Holy Spirit at work.

I had been down at the Bakery, preparing custom orders earlier last week, when the Lord pressed on my heart this message about “busy.” 

I must say, my time in the kitchen is often spent talking and listening to the Lord. 

Back when we had the storefront and I was working late in the evenings, I often had a worship experience with the Lord. He spoke, I listened. He touched my heart through song, I had to stop decorating to just sit and cry in gratitude. He revealed an idea to me, I wrote it down. He gave me inspiration, I drew it out. He revealed something to me, I prayed about it. 

Last week, as the words came to mind about being “busy” I wrote it all down until the words just stopped. 

For days following, I had attempted to come back to my journal to add to it, but nothing seemed to fit. There was a block to add anything to it. 

I now realize the block was the Spirit preventing me from adding my own words to something He gave me vision for. 

I believe the Lord was preparing my heart for the following Sunday’s sermon at church. 

I believe He wanted to add to the previous jottings, but with Truths spoken and wisdom received from Sunday’s message.

And I believe He wanted me to work through something, in His timing and in His ways. 

Only the Spirit can orchestrate that. No other person in life can know the depths of your heart, provide just enough of what you need, leave you yearning for more and then provide exactly what you need at the exact time with the exact words that fill your heart and mind and soul. Only the Spirit of God can do that. 

So with that preface, here’s what the Lord has been speaking to me about “busy.” Maybe you can relate?

The Cultural Pandemic of ‘Busy’

I hear it often. Heck, I’ve heard myself speak some of these very words!

“I’m so busy!”

“Gosh, we can’t do that, we have too much going on.”

“We can’t add more single thing to our schedule.”

Another one I hear as if it’s up to someone else to decide how available I am- “I didn’t ask because you seem too busy.” Or “I just thought you have enough on your plate.” It’s not up to anyone else to decide how busy a person is, nor should you impose your lack of planning or busyness on another as an excuse to not reach out to them.

“To be busy” is relative. But culture has made us believe that unless the only free time we have is closing our eyes at 11PM at night before starting our day again at 4AM, you’re not “that busy”. 

I’d venture to say being busy has become a competition. It’s become another thing to compare, compete and belittle someone else about. 

It’s as though “being busy” equates to being important; or more efficient; or more needed; more desired; more significant; more known; or more seen. 

We all think we’re busy, actually, busier than ever. We all have so many opportunities at our disposal; so many things beckoning our attention. 

But why? 

The “Christian answer” is that’s exactly what Satan wants. 

“To be busy” equates to one becoming disobedient, independent, self-reliant, depressed, anxiety-ridden, selfish, entitled, exhausted, depleted, worn-out, stretched thin, overwhelmed, self-focused, and self-seeking. Satan can do so much more damage when we are these things. 

But truly, why do we choose to make ourselves so busy?

Furthermore, why do we feel we have to justify our “busyness” to someone else?

Why do we feel we have to throw in the remarks when talking to someone about our schedules, “I know you do so many more things…” or “I realize I don’t have quite as demanding a job as you, but…” or “I know it doesn’t seem like much, but…”

There’s no need to belittle yourself and elevate another to fuel this cultural impression that to be busy equates to one’s significance and importance.

Why do we have to make our lives seem insignificant just because we draw a line and decide we’re not going to do something/participate in something/etc.? 

Why do we have to apologize for setting boundaries for ourselves and our families to ensure we don’t get too busy?

Setting Boundaries, Discerning Importance

“To be busy” is relative- my definition is different from yours and vice versa. 

But I don’t need to define to you or explain to you what my “busy” looks like. I don’t need to know yours either! And we certainly don’t have to insinuate to one another that “my busy life is more busy than yours so please, quit complaining.”

We don’t say that directly, but you can sense when someone is insinuating it. It’s ridiculous. 

I am going to ask though, even though you don’t get an explanation as to why I don’t do something or go to something or participate in something, that you would consider simply respecting the fact that my decision to not be “busy” is my decision. 

I have chosen to function from a protected place of my time and my family’s time, because we have experienced what it looks like to “be too busy.” 

It’s not worth it.

Being busy, or filling our days with ‘stuff’ costs our family too much. 

Literally and figuratively. 

Physically and spiritually. 

Relationally and financially.

Remember when I asked why we are busier than ever before? You may have tossed aside and rolled your eyes with an ““of course she’d say that” remark with my first answer. But what if “to be too busy” is truly the design of the enemy of our souls? 

Satan is the master of disguise. From the beginning, he is doing everything in his power to replicate God Almighty, YAHWEH. He can’t, but he tries.  And for those who don’t or can’t discern the difference get sucked into the facade of a fruitful life. 

They are convinced that the disguise of being busy is really the truth, but it’s not. It’s a fake counterpart. And one with eternal impact. 

You cannot convince me that “being busy” brings peace, contentment, fulfillment, joy, patience, goodness, rest, restoration, and faithfulness. 

Potentially a self-created fulfillment, yes.

Possibly a self-centered contentment, yes.

You may do acts of goodness for others, but unless it’s motivated by the Spirit living in you, it’s with a selfish ambitious heart. 

Jesus speaks to us in John 15:5, that while we can do things in our own strength with our own abilities and own creative ways, He is the ultimate giver or source of life. He is who orchestrates our steps for a life-fulfilling, life-giving, abundantly blessed life. Disconnected from Him, we can’t do anything fruitful; at least nothing that honors or pleases Him. 

Again, you cannot convince me that being so busy is God’s design for a life-fulfilling, life-giving, abundantly blessed life. 

Satan wants nothing more than to draw as many people away from the One True God as he can. He knows the kind of life one can have through the life, death, burial, resurrection and second coming of Jesus Christ. But he hates he can’t have it, and wants others to be as miserable as he will be. 

When we become too busy, it’s because we have begun a personal pursuit of purpose. We’ve lost the courage to say “no.” We’ve lost boundaries around what we will and will not succumb to. We have shifted our focus from trusting God’s plan, to taking things into our own hands. 

Self-Pursuit Leads to Unnecessary Busyness

From personal experience, what I thought would bring financial blessing to our family did indeed bring in more money, but at the cost of losing relationships and time with those closest to me.

What I hoped and prayed would bring me new, honest relationships brought me to a place of feeling more like a service machine than a true friend. 

What I thought would help bring light to a dark community only opened the doors for more spiritual warfare.

What I thought would be an opportunity to serve as a family to our community only created resentment from my kids because they spent too much time where they didn’t want to be. 

It’s funny how the selfish pursuit of things we think will bring us life, purpose, and fulfillment actually bring the opposite. 

Why? 

Because we get too busy. We get too fixated with what we think we need to do or where we need to be that we miss out on small moments that lead to the big picture of beautiful, live-giving moments. 

I’m not saying God can’t bless the things we pursue; the hinge of credibility is if it’s ordained by Him for us to walk in or if it’s self-created by us, for ourselves.

As I learned from the Spirit in Sunday’s sermon, “God can’t bless something He hasn’t called you to.” 

Filling my days to the brim, with a busy, seemingly important schedule, only leaves me empty. It leaves my husband depleted. It leaves my family yearning for more.

It leaves us lacking and still wanting. So then, of course, what do we do to combat that? Fill it with more stuff to do. 

This is a lie of the enemy; a spirit with demonic intentions. Misaligning our lives from what God calls us to, even gifts us with, and we become so infiltrated by the culture standards we lose sight of Truth. That’s a minor win for the enemy. 

Discontentment Leads to Disobedience

The Lord brought to mind a handful of passages of scripture that enlightened me to the Truth of His word and what He says about “being busy” or having purpose. Sunday’s sermon also brought it full circle with a dive into understanding the 4th Commandment. 

We will get there. 

Let’s begin, though, by looking at Philippians 4:10-13. 

Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, writes, “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

When we stay connected to The Vine, we remain with an endless source of strength and ability. Regardless if the days (weeks, months, or years) are fruitful with blessing or if they’re trying with lessons of trusting and dependability. 

I must admit, I don’t enjoy those seasons of living in want; both spiritual want and physical want. It’s hard for me to be content; it’s hard for me to trust God and endure, continuing the path He has placed me on without trying to muster up another plan, a Plan B. 

And Plan B is what usually adds the busy, hectic schedule to our lives, unnecessarily. 

Plan B: We lack finances so we fill it with more work, but it costs us contentment, peace, trust, and faithfulness. 

Plan B: We lack the feeling that we’re seen or relevant, so we commit to things that are time-wasting. 

Plan B: We want to offer our kids more experiences than we had, so we overcommit their schedules with activities they aren’t that interested in. 

The root of the issue is we’re discontented; that leads to choices which lead to disobedience to God’s commands. Then, we find ourselves overwhelmed, irritable, exhausted, anxious, worn-out, etc. 

Deep down we know when we are where we need to be (ahem, connected to His Vine, to His source of life) obeying His commands, He will bless us. We know He will meet our every need. We know He provides opportunities. We know we will be taken care of. 

I love what our Pastor suggested Sunday, God never makes us so busy that He contradicts His commands. Meaning, He will never gift us jobs, responsibilities, children, or activities that force us to go against, or disobey His commands. They coincide together; they work together.

WE are the ones that cause such a busy schedule- trying to make ends meet, trying to provide opportunities, trying to get one step ahead- we cause ourselves to contradict His commands.

Colossians‬ 3‬:‭15‬-‭17‬, the AMPC version, is written beautifully to reiterate the fact that, as we stay connected to Him, we function from a different place. We make decisions contrary to the world, we set boundaries and walk in a way different from the pull of the world. We serve from a different place in our hearts, knowing it’s not for us but for Him.

“And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]. Let the word [spoken by] Christ (the Messiah) have its home [in your hearts and minds] and dwell in you in [all its] richness, as you teach and admonish and train one another in all insight and intelligence and wisdom [in spiritual things, and as you sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to God with [His] grace in your hearts. And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.”

Psalm 46:10 encourages believers to “be still and know (recognize and understand) that He is God.”

We are also called to not be anxious about anything, but in all things pray for discernment. His peace which passes all understanding, will then guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7) 

We must be intentional with our time. We have to protect it. We have to set boundaries because if we let others or culture define our boundaries, they will be an ever-changing gray area. 

Old and New Covenant

The final point came from Sunday’s sermon. It helped both remind me of the reasons I was called to close the storefront and reaffirmed to me that He will provide, even if it doesn’t make sense to me or is not clear to me. He has a way of bringing blessing in this season of uncertainty, I need only to continue to obey. 

At church, we’ve been studying the book of Exodus and Sunday, paused to look at God’s command, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,” in Exodus 20:8-11.

Now, I understand we have differing Christian views about what significance the Old Testament carries today. I am functioning from a conviction that the Old Testament is a historical account about the relationship between God and His people. It reveals God’s power and authority, it reveals man’s shortcomings and failures, but even yet points to the grace of God and the coming King which is Jesus, whom we meet in the New Testament. 

I believe that while we are no longer bound by the Law of the Old Testament, we can use it as a reference for a way of living in Christ. 

When Christ died and rose to heaven, He initiated a New Covenant with those who believe in Him. He came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). He is the Law. Through Christ’s fulfillment of the Law, we now have redemption, or salvation, through Him which the Law of Moses wasn’t able to offer.

Jesus tore the veil which separated our ancestors from direct access to the Father. We now have access to Him through Jesus’ sacrifice when we accept the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We become a new creation in Christ, one who is forgiven and wiped clean before Him. But in this new life we are called to be set apart, to be different; to live according to the Spirit’s Truth, not the world’s truth or our own truth. 

Galatians 3:13-14 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

So even though we are not bound by the 10 commandments as a means for salvation, we are led by the Spirit of God to lead and guide us as we reflect on and discern how even in Christ’s New Covenant with us, He calls us to live “set apart” and “holy.” 

Rest- It’s a Gift

Exodus 20:8-11 reads, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. In it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the foreigners within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

If you’ve read any of my journal entries, you know I love word studies. In this passage, we learn that Sabbath means “intermission; a day of atonement.” It literally means to take an intermission from the six days of work, it’ll still be there when you return. 

Furthermore, holy in this passage means “to set apart; to be honoured; to be holy.” 

God actually gifts us rest! It is a gift to be commanded to pause, take an intermission from all the doings of life, and set apart one day of seven to be different. Cease all work, take time to reflect and remember all the things the Lord has done to provide for you, to sustain you, to protect and bless you.

In our season of being too busy, we didn’t even take the time to rest consistently. There was always something that needed done. Something was always beckoning our thoughts. 

But the Spirit in His graciousness opened my eyes to see that the busyness was self-inflicted. He opened my eyes to see that He would never allot me or my family to do so much that it took away time from Him, and from obeying His command to rest in Him. 

It’s so counter-cultural and almost reverse psychology, but choosing to rest, pausing from hustle and bustle, has better equipped us to take on the days and tasks following us. We’ve also been more aware of things in our lives that are unnecessary; commitments we don’t need to make anymore. 

Set Apart, To Be Made Different

If you feel that life is too busy to take a rest, perhaps that’s exactly what you need. Rest. But not the culturally defined “self-pampering” kind of day of rest. A true day of rest, set apart, seeking and discerning God’s plans for you and praising Him for His provision and direction over your life. 

I can’t tell you what that looks like. Your friend can’t tell you what to give up. Your pastor can’t discern that for you. 

For us, we have chosen to protect specific days each week where we will not allow meetings, games, practices, work, or anything else interfere with what we decide our family needs as part of God’s life-giving and life-fulfilling, beautiful life for us. 

We also felt convicted about making one of those days even more set apart, or different. What can we do to make it more special? What can we do to set an expectancy for all of us that gets us excited to get to that day after a long week? 

Rest in His Promises and Provision

We are unsure of many things, but very confident in the fact God does not call us to a “busy” schedule. 

We’ve reached an understanding that “busy” doesn’t equate to a more fruitful life. 

What about you?

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