You're Probably Too Busy to Read This, But. . .

In my last post I discussed the importance of choosing words carefully. One word that most of us need to be much more purposeful about is the word "busy."

"I ran across this today regarding busyness on Tim Challies' blog:

"Busyness is a funny thing. We have a love/hate relationship with it, so that when we are not boasting in it we are apologizing for it, and when we are not overwhelmed by it we are wanting more of it. We hate what busyness does to us, how it keeps us from friends and families and how it skews our priorities. On the other hand, we love that it validates us, as if the fact that we are busy somehow proves our significance."

And there I am. This paradoxical paragraph describes my past decade or so in a damningly accurate manner. In my attempts to get ahead, chase accomplishments, and be all I can be, I was never hesitant to talk about how busy I was.

When I read Challies' quote, I realize that at it's core, the word "busy" is competitive. It's a proclamation that I am better than you. Using my "busy" to English translator, I find that, "I was too busy to get that done/be there," actually means one of the following:

• My time was more important than yours.
• I would have accomplished as much or more than you, but I'm exhausted from everything else I'm accomplishing that you aren't.
• I've got a lot going on - way more than you.
• Why aren't you this busy? If I had your time, of course I'd get it done.
• Praise me and my diligent behavior! I'm important!

Whether I want it to be true or not, if I look at the core of every time I've told someone else how busy I am, the message I'm trying to send is one of these. And it's a stupid message. I am however busy I choose to be. There really is no reason to talk about it.

Aside from this realization that talking about it foolish, I read a few other commentaries in the past couple of weeks about curing people like myself of chronic busyness or making us wiser decision-makers regarding what we choose to be busy with.

The first piece of advice I came across is to honestly ask yourself, "Why am I working this hard?" Why is your schedule full? The real answer may surprise you. Take stock of the true motivation. Is it to make more money to meet necessities, or more money to create comfort? Is it to build relationships with your kids, or to look like a good parent to your peers? Is it out of tradition or wisdom? Is it self-glorifying or God-glorifying? If the answer is ugly, so is your busyness.

The other is this: 

"God designed us to be conformed to whatever it is that we admire - our passions. When it comes to time, we invest it in things we believe will help us become what we want to be. . . Doing too many things can be an indicator that worldly passions are growing and beginning to choke out our passion for God and his kingdom. Any time investment that isn't helping to conform us to the image of Jesus is conforming us to some kind of worldly image. And it means we have some laying aside to do." (Jon Bloom)

This post is not a diatribe against activity. We are not called to a life of comfort, and much of life is a struggle. It should be hard, and there are many worthy endeavors with which to fill our time and stretch our capacities. Ultimately what I've learned from this more than anything is to be purposeful if I'm busy, and to cut that word out of my vocabulary.