What if we stopped telling each other how busy we are? Just a thought.
Someone asks, “How are you?” We usually don't go into a rant about our deepest feelings. However, I can imagine many of us have responded at some time “I’m so busy!”
Whether we’re in college, sporting a new job, thick into our careers, or even retired, we can all get caught in the trap of busyness and having overly busy schedules. Does it just seem like a way of life? Maybe summer is a time to slow down, reestablish rhythms, and get free from the crazy busy roller coaster of life.
I’m the kind of person that wants to make the most of each minute. Therefore, I work hard to fill those minutes, making them count. So, I can easily get caught in this crazy cycle of hurry.
Years ago, I took a two-week leadership class at a monastery in California with Dallas Willard, an American philosopher and influencer in Christian spiritual formation. During our time together we studied, practiced, and learned various spiritual disciplines to help us grow in our walk with God. Dallas called hurry “the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.” He said, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” I agree, but how?
Hurry is one of the biggest challenges you face in your life. How will you prioritize what’s important? Do you sometimes get too busy to spend time with those you love? Are you fully present with people or just running your "to-do" list in your head? Do you feel irritable when there’s a delay? Do you always feel behind schedule? Do you devote less time to self-care and more time to hurry? Do phone calls, emails, texts, and meetings become a bother to you?
When we run at breakneck speed, we rarely can develop spiritually, emotionally, and physically vibrant lives. We feel anxious and far from God. We get stuck in just trying to get through one more day. We just don’t ever seem to have enough time. Sara Kuburic writes “Always being busy has become an admirable way for people to avoid themselves.” So true.
Rich Villodas, in his book The Deeply Formed Life wrote “Our souls were not created for the kind of speed to which we have grown accustomed. Thus, we are a people who are out of rhythm, a people with too much to do and not enough time to do it. Our lives can easily take us to the brink of burnout. The pace we live at is often destructive. The lack of margin is debilitating. We are worn out. In all of this, the problem before us is not just the frenetic pace we live at but what gets pushed out of our lives as a result, that is, life with God.”
Summer should be a time of slowing down. Take time to make a list of the way you feel when you are busy and the way you feel when you’re not. Make a list of all your favorite ways to relax and enjoy summer. Then schedule, yes schedule, your time of fun. Maybe you need to change some things in your work environment. We often have created poor habits that have exacerbated a busy lifestyle. You don't always have to "be so busy!"
Here is Jesus’ invitation just for you.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me-watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30
Someone asks, “How are you?” We usually don't go into a rant about our deepest feelings. However, I can imagine many of us have responded at some time “I’m so busy!”
Whether we’re in college, sporting a new job, thick into our careers, or even retired, we can all get caught in the trap of busyness and having overly busy schedules. Does it just seem like a way of life? Maybe summer is a time to slow down, reestablish rhythms, and get free from the crazy busy roller coaster of life.
I’m the kind of person that wants to make the most of each minute. Therefore, I work hard to fill those minutes, making them count. So, I can easily get caught in this crazy cycle of hurry.
Years ago, I took a two-week leadership class at a monastery in California with Dallas Willard, an American philosopher and influencer in Christian spiritual formation. During our time together we studied, practiced, and learned various spiritual disciplines to help us grow in our walk with God. Dallas called hurry “the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.” He said, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” I agree, but how?
Hurry is one of the biggest challenges you face in your life. How will you prioritize what’s important? Do you sometimes get too busy to spend time with those you love? Are you fully present with people or just running your "to-do" list in your head? Do you feel irritable when there’s a delay? Do you always feel behind schedule? Do you devote less time to self-care and more time to hurry? Do phone calls, emails, texts, and meetings become a bother to you?
When we run at breakneck speed, we rarely can develop spiritually, emotionally, and physically vibrant lives. We feel anxious and far from God. We get stuck in just trying to get through one more day. We just don’t ever seem to have enough time. Sara Kuburic writes “Always being busy has become an admirable way for people to avoid themselves.” So true.
Rich Villodas, in his book The Deeply Formed Life wrote “Our souls were not created for the kind of speed to which we have grown accustomed. Thus, we are a people who are out of rhythm, a people with too much to do and not enough time to do it. Our lives can easily take us to the brink of burnout. The pace we live at is often destructive. The lack of margin is debilitating. We are worn out. In all of this, the problem before us is not just the frenetic pace we live at but what gets pushed out of our lives as a result, that is, life with God.”
Summer should be a time of slowing down. Take time to make a list of the way you feel when you are busy and the way you feel when you’re not. Make a list of all your favorite ways to relax and enjoy summer. Then schedule, yes schedule, your time of fun. Maybe you need to change some things in your work environment. We often have created poor habits that have exacerbated a busy lifestyle. You don't always have to "be so busy!"
Here is Jesus’ invitation just for you.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me-watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
