The Enemy Called Busy
We live in an age where everything seems to be measured in terms of productivity. “Do more“; “achieve more“; and “accomplish more“, are terms we hear ever so often. Basically, we are told that our fulfilment comes from how busy or ‘achieving’ we are.
This is not only a workplace issue. Our families and churches have caught the bug too. Instead of being the oases of rest that God designed them to be, these divine institutions have borrowed a leaf from the world of business, and in certain cases have done ‘better’.
Churches inundate members with activities beyond their scope: drama group and music team rehearsals, women’s and men’s associations, weekly vigils, annual conventions, and more.
In families, the harder it is to see you, the more respect you seem to get these days, because it gives the impression that you are a busy person whose time is valuable. Yet, the family was designed as a place of fellowship and warmth, where we can nurture ourselves.
What is it with man that he must always seek for something to do? Why is man almost never happy except he has a project at hand? What is it about man that he finds it difficult to rest and not jump on the next groovy train?
Give a man a holiday; he will find something to keep himself busy with! I often wonder why he bothered with the holiday in the first place.
Reflecting on my life, I realise that my best moments were not those when I pursued some great project, or even the moments following the accomplishment when I am acclaimed as an achiever. No; my best moments were moments lying in bed thinking about life; my best moments were those spent with family and loved ones – doing nothing but just sharing; my best moments have been those long minutes spent under a warm shower, while pondering on the goodness of God and on life; my best moments have been my least busy moments.
It seems that we start out with life on full steam, hoping to achieve all that we can achieve, then arrive at old age only to discover that what matters the most is not how busy we have been, and certainly not how much we have achieved.
This reminds me of Mary and Martha, the two friends of Jesus:
Luke 10:38-42
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled [anxious and troubled] about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Martha was the busy type. Mary chose the part of fellowship, which the Lord described as the good part, and which He maintained will not be taken away from her. Truth is, our busyness often proceeds from being “anxious and troubled about many things“, in the words of Jesus Himself.
Busyness is a tool used by the enemy to keep us away from the most important thing – learning at the Lord’s feet. Today, that would be personal, private time in Bible study and fellowship with the Lord. Man-driven and devil-inspired “church” systems thrive on busyness. The idea is that if people are kept running around all the time, they’ll have little time to study Scriptures for themselves.
So churches pack meeting after meeting, outreaches, prayer meetings, Holy Ghost conventions, nights of blisses and breakthroughs – and so the sheeple never have the time to study and learn. Churches measure spiritual growth with how busy an individual is – when as a matter of fact, that person is driven by the innate desire in man to do.
It all looks good on the surface, but it is a never-ending cycle that eats deep into the fabrics of our lives. Our busyness is mostly a symptom of our lack of depth. Sad, but true.
