Are You Busy?

 

Are You Busy? is a convicting blog post by C. J. Maheney I recently came across. It probably made an impact as I wrestle with the changes I’ve had to make while in-between ministries. I used to be very, very busy with little down time. I now have lots of potential down time that I have to fill with intention. At times I feel a bit lazy, but I think that I’m just busy with different things, with different meanings. This excerpt brings the point into challenging focus:

But the realization that I could be simultaneously busy and lazy, that I could be a hectic sluggard, that my busyness was no immunity from laziness, became a life-altering and work-altering insight. What I learned is that:

• Busyness does not mean I am diligent
• Busyness does not mean I am faithful
• Busyness does not mean I am fruitful

Recognizing the sin of procrastination, and broadening the definition to include busyness, has made a significant alteration in my life. The sluggard can be busy—busy neglecting the most important work, and busy knocking out a to-do list filled with tasks of secondary importance.

When considering our schedules, we have endless options. But there are a few clear priorities and projects, derived from my God-assigned roles, that should occupy the majority of my time during a given week. And there are a thousand tasks of secondary importance that tempt us to devote a disproportionate amount of time to completing an endless to-do list. And if we are lazy, we will neglect the important for the urgent.

Whether we have a job description or not, we each must be about the most important tasks God has called to accomplish. And sometime, I think, the important thing is to discover what God has called us to.