Busyness: The Life We've Lost in Living

You might say I am prone to live without margins. It might be true that often I schedule things so that, if there is not one interruption, then my day will run smoothly, and I won’t be late for anything. It might also be true that in the busiest time of my life, when Teri and I had six children in the house, Teri would periodically let me know that our life was “too busy.” It is not that I set out to over-schedule. I don’t like to be rushed, but I do often think that I can do more than I actually can. The problem with this is not just that it hurts me, but that it would hurt those I love the most. When I am "crazy busy", I may be home but I am not present. While there is the rush of self-importance, when I am crazy busy, it leaches away my joy, sucks the life out of my soul, and makes me very anxious.I have fought this all my life, trying to cram in too much. I have often said, without my wife, Teri, I would most likely have run myself into the ground. She has acted like an external monitor who continually seeks to help me and our family live life at a human pace. It’s a good thing too. Pascal once said, Busyness sends more people to hell than unbelief. Ouch!! So, am I alone in this? Hardly! Busyness is a status symbol in suburbia. We have so many good choices, and we are so afraid we will miss something, that, in cramming our schedules, we miss the really human things.On Sunday, we will talk about it. We don’t have to wear ourselves out with living. God built us for rest and sabbaths. Notice, I said “sabbaths.” When you factor in all the feasts the ancient Israelites were called to order their lives around, you see a people who worked hard, played hard, and feasted hard. As Kevin DeYoung said so wisely in his book Crazy Busy, “The antidote to busyness of soul is not sloth and indifference. The antidote is rest, rhythm, death to pride, acceptance of our own finitude, and trust in the providence of God.”Join us Sunday as we continue to talk about Suburban gods. Can we be honest? These idols we all face do not go quietly into that good night. Human thriving is hard and hard won, but is always on the other side of the cross. On the other side is joy unspeakable. It is a faith issue. May God give us grace to repent of our idolatry and find a bigger and better life!Blessings,JimP.S. If you have been visiting with us, please join us for our Inquirer’s Class this Sunday at 9:15. This is a place to examine the beliefs, purpose, values and theology of St. Patrick. If you have been around a while and have not yet become a member, you definitely need to join us. I love teaching this class! I think you will enjoy it too!