Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: BUSY (02/02/17)
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TITLE: A State of Mind | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lois Pearson
02/08/17 -
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Busy . . . busy . . . busy! Doesn’t it seem that we Americans are constantly rushing around, complaining about being too busy? To the point where the proclamation has almost become a banner denoting pure misery in our chosen activities. Have you ever noticed the wild eyed panic in someone’s eyes when merely asking them how they’re doing? “I’m so busy! Life is too busy!†It seems that the statement has become a mantra of 21st century America.
But wait. Have you ever thought that maybe we have it all wrong? Have you ever considered the alternative? What would life be like without all those chosen activities? No scouts or sports for the kids? No going to the gym? No more shopping? No concerts or Friday night movie nights? No teacher conferences reporting on your children’s school progress? No continuing education cooking, computer, or knitting classes? No Saturday afternoon playdates? What if they all just went away?
According to Webster, the definition of busy includes synonyms such as “fully employed, active, and diligent.†Is there really anything so wrong with being fully employed? As a mom, in an any-given 5 minute block, I could easily field five to fifty questions. “What’s for dinner?†“When are we leaving?†“Hey mom, what’s thrifty mean?†“and “Mom, how do you spell congruent?†My phone could whir with a text from my husband about being late for dinner or wondering if I could look up the phone number for the neighbors down the street. My microwave could beep indicating that the chicken is defrosted and ready to be transformed into dinner. Besides that my 125 pound St. Bernard could bark incessantly for her next meal. Is that too busy? Or is it how we look at things?
In the New International Bible, Paul writes to Titus instructions on how to lead the troubled church in Crete. In verses 4 – 5 he taught the younger women to “. . . love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind . . .†So once again, consider the alternative. According to Webster the antonym for busy is idle. And when one chooses idleness, one can expect disrepair and disruption. Paul urges the Thessalonians to “warn those who are idle and disruptive†1 Thessalonians 5:14, and to “keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received†1 Thessalonians 3:6.
Has being busy become a state of being that we love to hate? And if so, why? Is it what we choose to participate in? Is it who we are, or aren’t, participating with? Or is it when and where activities take us? If it is within God’s teachings for us to be busy, then shouldn’t we find a way to make being busy, something we love? Something we can offer up to the glory of our Creator? I think the Danish may have it right when they experience hygge (pronounced Hue – gah): a feeling that comes from taking pleasure in everyday life’s little joys.
Is it possible to introduce a bit of hygge into our own lives? Discern carefully about what fills your days. And discern even more carefully, about how you think and feel about what fills your days. Don’t let the senseless busyness of many people’s lives become the norm of your own life. Reflect, pray, discern, and give it up to God.
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Blessings~
Blessings~
Being busy is good if it is to the glory of God. If it is for our glory, shame on us.
Well written, very thoughtful.
Very strong message, and I even learned a Finnish word in the process. My mom's family comes from Norway.
Keep up the writing. You have so much wisdom to share.