Lately I have found myself unable to relax or even sleep at nights. My mind is on full alert as I franticly try to squeeze more and more into my to-do-list. Well judging from the actions and discussions of others I don’t seem to be alone.
It seems that everyone is rushing about, trying to work through our to-do lists so that we can do what? Create new to-do lists that just take more and more of our time and energy and often leaves us feeling emotionally, spiritually and physically exhausted.
Truth is we are not doing ourselves or those around us any favors by living life in the fast lane. Just think about it: Today we have a whole array of gadgets and other technical helps like I-pad, I-phone, I-mac, I-tunes, that instead of help us to cope with the stress and demands of life (so that we can have more time over for relationships and relaxation) have just added to the stress surrounding us. Instead we just seem to squeeze more and more activity into our lives, and think it is okay. Our culture and the world we live in are providing us with the mistaken message that busier is better.
Even we, as Christians and especially as leaders, tend to fill our schedules with too many good things: board meetings, program meetings, strategy meetings, small group Bible studies, training seminars, , accountability groups and my all time favorite meetings to plan more meetings. Where does it all stop? Contrary to the ever increasing demands to achieve more in less time, more is not necessarily better. In other words, just because we can do more, doesn’t mean we should!
This way of living and viewing life is so different to the way Jesus chose to live His life. When we study the life of Jesus He never seemed rushed or hurried. He never gave the impression that unless He moved quickly along to the next activity He would miss out on something important. A good example of this is the woman with an issue of blood (See Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-47). Jesus not only stopped everything He was doing but the Bible tells us that he approached her with love and compassion (which cannot be stressed) and healed her. He was literally willing to stop time and space to help this poor women who had suffered for 12 long years.
If we were to analyze Jesus life it would appear that Jesus was not as successful in His ministry as we would have expected. He certainly did not have access to all the technology and resources available to us on the internet. Besides He spent most of His time walking around Palestine ministering to the needs of those who were poor, sick and marginalized. How did He ever get anything done? And in the end what did He have to show for it – a handful of discouraged and disillusioned followers.
Somehow, despite the limitations of His time Jesus was still able to do everything that His Heavenly Father asked of Him. I have become more and more convinced that one of our greatest spiritual problems today (as leaders and Christ followers) is that we are too busy. Busyness has become the new spirituality. We have far too little time for solitude, reflection, relaxation and just spending quite time at the feet of Jesus.
So why not take some time out to evaluate your busy schedule. Consider ways of delegating responsibility or just simply cutting back. Who knows, it may very well be the best decision you can make right now in your life. Busier is not always better!
Life Application:
Take a long serious look at your busy schedule. Are there activities and commitments you can cut back on that would add quality to your life?