BUSY
Definition: Actively doing something; full of activity or work. Engaged in activity; having a great deal to do. Keep occupied.
Last week’s topic on Rushing was a true confession of changes I personally wanted to improve upon, while “TAKIN TIME OUT” and pondering ways to slow down I have begun to reprioritize some things and embrace each day. I have realized another very important contributor to my rushing was the Art of Being BUSY! What comes to your mind when you hear the word BUSY? Maybe you think of words like active, unavailable, working, buried, swamped, overloaded, persevering, having a full plate, on the go, tied up, on assignment, slaving, snowed, hustling, engaged and industrious.
Have you ever greeted a friend or coworker, asked how they were and they proceeded to tell you how BUSY they were and all about everything they had to do? The thing is though; you joined right in, sharing with your friend how BUSY you were too and everything you had to do. It almost became a friendly competition of who was BUSIER. LOL I know each of you can relate…
Personally I feel better when I am active and BUSY! I love to juggle several balls in the air and have a variety of things going on in my life. It is stimulating, invigorating and basically the way I feel God has wired me. Needless to say my life is never boring a little overwhelming at times yet it is all good and I feel very blessed. While traveling on the road this week I was listening to one of my podcasts, Joyce Meyer made a statement that was very profound “God did not intend for his people to be BUSY but to be fruitful.” B-being, U-under, S-satan’s, Y-yoke……BUSY, don’t let the enemy get you under his yoke by making you too BUSY. Wow that hit home hard and I began to think about this a little deeper. Personally I want to be more fruitful meaning to produce more good in this world, be productive, helpful and less BUSY! I want each active approach to have meaning a purpose and not to do things just to be doing it out of a ritual or habit. I think I have mentioned before how I have this constant struggle of being more like Martha in the Bible but seeking to be more like Mary…
Luke 10:38-42”Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. (Being BUSY) And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Can you relate to what I am trying to say? Stick with me and hopefully this will make a little more sense. I have just poured me another cup of scrumptious hot Earl Grey tea…mmm soooo delicious on this beautiful autumn evening! Breathe in deeply, let you’re breath out slowly and let’s continue…
How many times a week do you hear yourself say, “I am so BUSY, how am I ever going to get it all done?” We are not really wired for the rapid pace we are living. Our brains can transfer information very quickly, but most of us need time to process the experience, just the way good bread dough needs time to rise for those of you who love to bake I know you can relate. Have you ever stopped to consider why and what purpose you are serving. Is it being fruitful and producing an end result or is it just an activity to take up time and maybe procrastinate from doing something that really needs to be done or dealt with in your life? Have you ever considered your BUSY may be an addiction? Are you too involved in so many things that you don’t have or take time to stop and really deal with the hurt, the pain, the void or facing the fears of maybe being alone or being with the one you love because the fire has gone out of the relationship? Are you BUSY because you are afraid of discovering something from your past or are you running from responsibility or tarnished relationship whether it is with family or friends? Are you BUSY because you have properly grieved the loss of a loved one, or loss of job, your home or financial issue? Or are you guilty of being a people pleaser…wanting to make everyone happy so you keep taking on more and more. What about our children? Have we introduced them to too many extracurricular activities, wanting them to be included in everything while trying to figure out what they may be good at? They have school, multiple sports activity, music lessons, and church, home team, parties, etc. Yet do we teach them to be still and savor the moment, relax and enjoy being alone? Personally this is an era of over-booked schedules, maximum stimulation, fast food and sound bites. How many of you try and watch the news and we have a streaming line of words across the bottom, a corner in the right has an update while the newscaster is giving an excerpt on the latest breaking news but your twitter and social media has already reported most of it hours before. It’s crazy and personally I feel out of control!
This is where I think each one of us has to really stop and ask why we do what we do and have we over committed ourselves to certain things. Now granted I think there are seasons in our life that are BUSIER than others and maybe we have formed a habit and we don’t know life any other way. In my line of work 3rd and 4th quarter have always been a BUSY time but lately so has 1st and 2nd quarter. I know with the advancement in technology and being able to reach out to people 24/7 through internet/social media etc. we stay wired and that adds to our BUSYNESS.
Let’s face it we are each given the same amount of time 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year. Are your days filled to the brim…are you too BUSY? For those who make a To Do List…take it out review each item on that list. What end result will truly be fruitful? What can be deleted never missed if it weren’t done did you just put it on there to make you feel good because it helped fill the page? Now what can be delegated? What can be hired out and maybe give someone needing extra income something to do? What can be traded with a friend because they like to do it and you take something you are passionate about from their list? Let’s all agree to become less BUSY and more fruitful.
When you say the word BUSY it reminds me of a Bumble Bee that Buzzzzz’s around. There is the saying “You are BUSY as a bee!” Did you know the Bee is the symbol of accomplishing the impossible? Aerodynamically, its body is too large for its wings and should not be able to fly. Although now we understand how it does fly (high rate of wing movement), the Bee remains a symbol of accomplishing anything you put your mind to. The Celtics associated the Bee with hidden wisdom, in Egypt the Bee symbolized royalty. The Bee is always working; gathering, going from flower to flower getting as much as it can, then back to the hive to tell everyone where to find the good patch and to store what he has gathered. Did you know without the bee, 90% of our food crops would cease to produce? Did you also know the average life span of a queen bee is 2 to 5 years, the drone or male bee lives 40 to 50 days and the worker or female bee lives from 1 to 4 months. Now that gives a little more to think about being BUSY as a Bee! Keep it up and life can be short…
I once read if the Bee has shown up in your life, examine your own productivity. Are you doing all you can to make your life more abundant? Are you BUSY enough or too BUSY? Are you making time to savor the honey of life or becoming a workaholic? The bee reminds us to make our lives productive while the sun shines and to enjoy the nectar of efforts. No matter how great the dream is, there is the promise of fulfillment if we pursue our dreams. But we must take time to dream and not get all caught up in the Art of being BUSY! Where are you on this subject? Do you need to reprioritize some things in your life too? While “TAKIN TIME OUT” this week think about the word BUSY and then think about the Bee what changes do you need to make in order for your life to become more fruitful? Dream your dreams and put into action. As Mother Teresa’s once said, “God never called us to be successful he called us to be faithful.” Until next time my friend make sure your buzzing has purpose, let’s be faithful and fruitful…
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