Why Am I So Busy?

If you had to pick a coffee to describe how last week was, which one most closely matches your last seven days?

Decaf – I had a few responsibilities and I got all of them done with plenty of margin to spare. Great week.

Half Decaf/Half Caf – My schedule was pretty full for a couple of days, but for the most part, it was a reasonably calm week.

Fully Caffeinated – My schedule was full every day. I got it all done, but I had to hit the floor running and then collapsed into bed at the end of the day.

Double Espresso – What schedule? Up before sunrise, still hitting it hard after sunset. Four emergencies, three crises, two unexpected complications and a partridge in a pair tree.

RED BULL + DOUBLE SHOT ESPRESSO + JET FUEL — What time is it? What day is this? 180 MPH with my hair on fire. What’s that burning smell?

Some days, it feels like you and I are performers in a circus act. We wake up every morning and start juggling. Kids, parents, spouses, friends, work, school, projects, homework, home repair, health, practices, rehearsals.

Church.

God.

And we’re keeping all those balls in the air while riding a unicycle across a Grand Canyon of responsibility. At the end of the day, we set our phones to wake us up so we can cycle back across tomorrow.

We are run ragged. We are overloaded. We are margin-less.

Not even Jesus could keep up the kind of pace we live at. In fact, he didn’t even try. Instead, he sought to get away and get some rest (Mark 6:31). He sought out solitude (Mark 1:35). Sometimes, he even tried to hide from the demands of others (Mark 7:24).

Rest is not a sin. In fact, it is a sin not to rest! Seriously. Remember the Ten Commandments? Without looking, which do you think is the longest?

Thou shalt not steal? Respect for the property of others matters. But it only gets four words.

Thou shalt not kill? I’m all for that. But again, four words.

Thou shalt not commit adultery? Hugely important, but only one word longer than the commands against killin’ and stealin’.

The longest command in the Big Ten is number four – Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Then, God spends another 88 words explaining to whom the command applies and why He wants us (and even our animals) to obey it. The command to rest gets more words than the next six commands combined.

If rest is such an important thing, why don’t we do more of it? That’s a really good question. In fact, you should block out some time this week and ask yourself, “Why am I so busy?”

Is it because I am seeking approval? If I say yes to requests for my time and energy, I will be validated, I will feel valued, I will be accepted. All the important people are busy. So if I’m busy, I will feel important.

Here’s a quick test to see if your busyness is about approval. If you brag about how much you have to do, you are probably seeking significance in being busy. We complain about things we want to change. We boast about things we want others to applaud.

Why am I so busy? Is it because when I am quiet I have to face some issues in my life that I don’t want to deal with? If I’m still, I know I might hear that still small voice and I am terrified of what it is going to say to me?

Why am I so busy? Is it because I want to make a lot of money because deep down, I believe money is a better bet to secure my future than God?

You know, if you could go back in time and tell your younger self how much money you make now, what kind of car you drive, the kind of house you live in, your younger self would say something like, “Man, we must be so content.” And you’d have to tell him or her, “Well, we should be. But we aren’t. It’s never enough.”

Why am I so busy? It’s a good question. It’s a painful question. But painful questions are usually the ones that lead us to healthy answers. And, in this case, to less caffeinated living.