Busyness

Man am I busy lately. I'm sure I'm not the only one...

The usual pace of life in our household is slow compared to what our culture in America says is acceptable. Our household is not inundated with activities on a nightly basis because, as a family, we make it a priority to spend time together and to allow for margin in our lives. This margin allows for us to take care of the necessary things of life as they happen (often unexpectedly) without having to force out other "good" things that we would ordinarily be doing, and without sacrificing family time or much needed sleep. We prioritize this way for several reasons, but the most important two are these: first, God is a God of relationships and He has emphasized the importance of the family unit. Therefore, as Christians, we ought to spend time together as a family strengthening our relationships with each other. Secondly, we (*gasp*) enjoy spending time together. In this culture that seems to think divorce is a good option for families that have "grown apart," my wife and I believe that divorce is not an option. We will not grow apart by filling our lives with so much activity that we crowd each other out of our (individual) life.

However, it seems that right now much of that margin has disappeared ... at least on my end. I do not remember a time in my life that I had more things on my plate than I do at the current time. I do remember a time where I spent more hours away from home than at present, but those hours were devoted to one thing (my job). Now, I have a sermon to prepare for Sunday, a presentation due on Tuesday, preparations to make for the upcoming Wednesday night series that I'll be leading at our church, steps to take concerning my business to try and ensure it doesn't fail in this floundering economy, and, of course, time to spend with my family and with God... Add to this the other things of life that pop up due to non-immediate family, friends, co-workers, church politics, etc., and I'm looking as hard as I can for the margin that used to be a part of life.

I recognized the need for margin this morning as I was getting ready. Thinking about the events of the day, I got out of the shower and was about to put on my deodorant when I realized that what I was about to put in my armpit was not deodorant but an uncapped tube of toothpaste! I couldn't help but laugh at myself that in the midst of trying to juggle so many "important" things, I have lost my ability to the simple things correctly.

Of course, we all make mistakes (and some mistakes are certainly bigger than others!), but I think it's good for us to occasionally remember that we are human beings, not human doings. So often we try and fill our lives with activities because we think that this will add value to us ... but our value is inherent in us already based on our being created in the image of God. God doesn't desire for us to live a hectic life full of activity and free of margin. He wants us to live a life of purpose. A life that is slow enough to recognize His goodness and to dwell in His presence, and full enough to be productive in advancing His kingdom.

God has allowed enough time for us to complete everything that He desires for us to do (and that includes spending quality time in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, with our loved ones, with Him, and also with those who are far from Him so that we may proclaim His kingdom to a lost and broken world), but there is certainly not enough time to do everything that we want to do.

God has declared: Be still, and know that I am God [Psalm 46:10a]. How can we be still and know if we leave ourselves without margin?