Tick, Tock. Will It Ever Stop?

I think it’s safe to say as women we often feel guilty that we are not doing enough. And dare I say we use busyness as a measuring stick to compare ourselves to others? I will admit that I do. However, I’m sure someone is watching me and making the same comparisons. My neighbors probably wonder how our garage door stays on the track given how much I open and close it each day because of my coming and going to this and that. I can’t tell you when the hectic life began for me, but I do wonder where in all this I lost the ability of self control when it comes to time.

I am reading a book called, Finding Your Purpose as a Mom, by Donna Otto. This book, among other topics, addresses the very subject of busyness. On how our grandmothers and mothers lived, Otto says, “Time flowed and we flowed with it. People worked of course, but the emphasis was on the doing, not getting it done and moving immediately to something else.”[i]

We have such a timeless example in Jesus during his 33 years on earth. His ministry was about pursuing and building relationships. His focus was eternal. He wanted everyone to come to know him as their personal Lord and Savior. When reading scripture I never get the feeling Jesus rushed from one task to the next. I don’t picture him running from city to city exhausted and out of breath, or rolling his eyes when the disciples weren’t on time. I don’t picture him tapping his fingers and being impatient while buying his lunch in the marketplace of Jerusalem. He understood the concept of balancing time and creating boundaries with people. Jesus rested in the fact that time and order was his Father’s idea in the first place. Even during the throws of a violent storm, Jesus was found sleeping.

“Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’" Matthew 8:24 – 25

Do you feel that way sometimes? Do you feel like you are drowning in the midst of daily tasks while life moves by at warp speed? We can’t help the tech-savvy culture we live in. The message of our rushed culture is “get it done now,” and we have every tool at our fingertips to make that happen. There is not a lot of room for interruptions, slowing down, or allowing God’s timing on things.

One of my favorite passages is Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Not only does this scripture bring comfort in the midst of busyness, but it is packed with instructions. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,” he says. You see Jesus wants us to wear a yoke that is easy and not heavy. He wants us to move along freely in our day to day life, not weighed down by all we have to get done. He wants us to learn from him and then follow his example.

Easier said than done right? The above mentioned book gives great practical advice on how to bring order to a chaotic life, but one piece of advice that really spoke to me was this: “Think about what you are trading off to keep up with today’s culture? Is all the stuff in your life really worth the time you must invest in it?” Donna Otto.[ii]

This topic of busyness is an intimidating one to address, but I have recently come to a point where I am tired of sprinting through my days without feeling like anything I’ve done is for a greater purpose—an eternal purpose. As I’ve grappled with this topic, the words to Chris Tomlin’s “How Great is Our God” song came to mind:

“Age to age he stands. And time is in his hands. Beginning and the end. Beginning and the end.”[iii]

[i] Finding Your Purpose as a Mom p. 92, Donna Otto, 2004, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene OR

[ii] Finding Your Purpose as a Mom p.97, Donna Otto, 2004, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene OR

[iii] www.christomlin.com, How Great is Our God lyrics, Arriving album