Don’t Wear Busy As A Badge!

There are so many things that we consume ourselves with in our daily lives. We have goals and things that we want to accomplish financially, in our homes, in our relationships, and personally. We fight for promotions, status, for pay raises at work, all to come home and posture our households to uphold this standard of living. We want the nice cars, the nice yard, we want our kids to be superstars and carry on a financial legacy that propels the generations to come. We keep them busy with extracurriculars, which inadvertently keeps us busy. There isn’t a problem with wanting nice things for your family and yourself, BUT how you manage it makes all the difference.

Is your flesh more satisfied with constant motions of you fulfilling the dreams that you have for your life? Or is God the center focus, allowing those dreams to be fulfilled in your life because of your faithfulness?

This can look different for us all, so come up with a routine that works for you. In the meantime, here are some practical ways to center your life, your dreams, your desires around Christ. Let’s break that chain of empty buzziness, so that God can add unto you the desires of our hearts:

1. Acknowledging Christ first thing in the morning, when you open your eyelids. Gratitude for what you have and where you are. Ex) “Thank you, Lord, for opening my eyes and allowing me to be able to sit upright. Today may not look how I want it to look, but I am thankful I am breathing on my own and that I have a means to provide the basics today.”
2. When challenges or afflictions arise, look to God first. Ex) STOP, BREATHE, and say “Lord, I acknowledge that you are here with me, in this moment. Give me strength, wisdom, and encouragement to prevail.”
3. Making time to read or listen to the Bible. If you don’t know where to start, think about how you’re feeling today and find that in the Bible. Ex) Worry- Philippians 4:6, don’t just read the verse, but read the whole chapter. In this case, that would be chapter 4. If you are using the bible app, then you can type your topic in the search bar and it will bring up a list of scriptures to choose from. If you’re using a physical bible, either in the front or back of the book, you can find the topics index.
4. Helping others. Let’s not make each day about ourselves, but what can you do to help someone today? Sometimes God sends those in need to us, and sometimes we have to go out and find them. Ex) Maybe you see someone in distress, and the Holy Spirit gives you the desire to help. This has happened to me. I pulled up to a restaurant to grab food. There was a young lady in front of the building crying. With the help of the Holy Spirit and my husband, I was encouraged to pray over her. Or maybe you have a friend or family member who has been working a lot, and you invite them over for dinner. You don’t have to overspiritualize this step. Keep it simple by actively listening and being ready and available to help someone in need.
5. The easiest step, but probably the most challenging, is prayer. We have all these preconceived notions about prayer, some of them we created, and some of them we have inadvertently inherited. Let’s keep it simple: tell God what you need and thank Him for what He has done.

I think it’s important that we recognize that we can’t handle all the loads we add to ourselves. And its ok to acknowledge when it becomes too much. When we are weak, dependent, and needy, the Lord is strong. We can look to him for help even in navigating our daily lives.

Let’s look at Ephesians 5:15-17

"So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."

For me, this is a warning. I am a wife, mother, friend, full-time student, and I’m sure there is something else I’m missing. A day in the life for me can be hectic, lots of driving back and forth, leaving me with short increments of time to sit down. Not many mental breaks because I’m constantly thinking of the next thing I need to do. I get so “busy” I forget to respond to texts and return phone calls. This scripture tells me to be careful how I live, be wise, manage my time, and understand God’s will for my life.

Let our days have meaning, and may we manage our time well!

Be careful, make thoughtful decisions, listen, pray, and have faith while you move forward.

Be wise, ask God for wisdom, because he gives it to those who ask. Use discernment and seek counsel when necessary.

Manage time, don’t just fill in the time slots with things that don’t matter or hold any value.

I think it’s fine to pursue goals that we want to achieve; however, it’s important to remember that we don’t have much time. Psalm 39:4-5, David is asking God to help him remember that his life on earth is short. If we knew how short our lives were, I think we would minimize the things that don’t bring us any value. Just like the people who coined the phrase “YOLO”, they want to make time for things they find valuable before their life ends. For us Christians, we have to look forward to Jesus’s second coming. So while we don’t have much time, we should be looking at the life of Jesus as our example and focusing on things that edify the Lord. If Jesus came back today, what would happen to you?

Let us not make this complicated by thinking that we need to drop everything we are doing, go move across the country, live in a tent, and preach the gospel. Now, if God is calling you to that, then do it. For me, this starts as simple as what type of parent am I going to be? How will I follow Christ’s example for the church to love my husband? Since I’m in the car a lot, am I going to let the vehicle out in front of me that’s been waiting a while? Someone offended me, how am I going to respond? Will I pray for my neighbor as I do for my household? Am I teaching my children about Christ? I think it’s important for us to be prayerful, as these things will look different for all of us. You have my support as you continue on this journey. You made the right decision to follow Christ even in difficulty. We serve a powerful and mighty God who loves and cares for us. Let’s do our part, be faithful.