Crazy Busy (Pack of 25),Used

Most people feel frazzled and overwhelmed much of the time. Were distracted and preoccupied in the same sorts of waysstruggling under a crushing weight of work, family, exercise, bills, church, school, friends, and a barrage of requests, demands, and desires.Its safe to say that on a typical day for most of us, our responsibilities, requirements, and ambitions add upto more than we can handle, whether we admit this or not.THE REAL THREATThe biggest dangers arising from this hectic and frustrating modern life arent what we might expect. The most serious threats are spiritual. When were crazy busy, we put our souls at risk. Few of us are as safe as we may think.An immediate and obvious spiritual threat is that busyness can ruin our joy. When were frantic and frenzied, were more prone to anxiety, resentment, impatience, and irritability.Busyness also robs spiritual vitality from our hearts, like seedgrowth choked out by thorns in Jesuss parable in Mark 4. Those thorns, he said, include the cares of the world (Mark 4:19).Another danger is in how busyness covers up the rot in our souls. As Christians, we ought to understand deep down that the problem with extreme busyness isnt just with our schedules or the worlds complexitysomething isnt right with us. The chaos is at least partly selfcreated. Things arent as they ought to be because we arent what we should be.ROOTED IN PRIDEOur understanding of busyness must start with the one sin that begets so many others: pride.Were busy because we try to do too many things; we do too many things because we say yes to too many people. We say yes because we want these people to like us and pat our back; we fear their disapproval.Busyness also springs from such prideful factors as our tendency to overestimate our importance, our ambition to prove ourselves, or poor planning resulting from our refusal to seek help. How can we tell when pride has made us frantic and overwhelmed? Heres a selfdiagnostic question you may find helpful: Am I trying to do goodor to make myself look good?WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT?For some people, because of pride as well as other reasons, opportunities we encounter often feel like obligations. We end up trying to do what God doesnt expect us to do. Even Jesus in his life on earth didnt meet every need coming his way. He didnt try doing it all. He did, however, do everything God asked him to.Jesus stayed resolutely on mission. He was busy, but never distracted by lesser things. He knew his priorities and stuck with them.If Jesus is our example, well know God expects us to say no to many good things so were freed up to say yes to whats most important. Otherwise, we cant serve others effectively. Setting priorities is an expression of love for others and for God.BUSY IN THE RIGHT WAYTurning away from pride and clinging to right priorities will mean, for example, that we wont get caught up in overparenting our kids in the allconsuming way thats dominant in our culture. It will mean we wont let digital devices strangle our soul in screen addiction. It will mean our acceptance of the pattern of Sabbath rest as Gods gift for our goodand our opportunity to trust his work more than our own.Well also accept the truth that were supposed to be busybut in the right way. The antidote to overbusyness isnt sloth and indifference, but rather rest, rhythm, death to pride, acceptance of our own finitude, and trust in Gods providence. It isnt work itself thats bad busyness, but working hard at the wrong things: trying to please or control others, trying to do things we havent been called to do.YES TO JESUSAt the end of Luke 10 we find the closest thing Jesus gave to a sermon on busyness (though its only two sentences), in a story about the sisters Mary and Martha. While Mary sat listening to Jesus, Martha was distracted with much serving. Jesus told her, One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion (Luke 10:3842).F