Busy: The Worst 4-Letter Word

Time is the great equalizer. We all make or have different amounts of money. Each of us have different talents and abilities. We come from different backgrounds and live in different family dynamics. One thing though is consistent. We all have 24 hours every day and 168 hours every week. Nothing more, nothing less. Most of us feel very busy, but have you thought about why we are so busy?

We Let the Urgent Take Priority Over the Important

Date nights with your spouse are important. Sleep and kids’ sports games are important. Yet, the phone call at work, the emails that need to be returned, the desire to make more money and achieve more at work, and the extra practices for our kids become much more urgent. We let the urgent steal our time.

We’re People Pleasers

We don’t want to let others down, so when a “need” arises, we jump in. Sometimes it means we choose time away from our families because we don’t want to tell someone, “No.” Too often it means that we don’t spend time with the Lord in reading our Bible or prayer. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” We’re trapped when our lives are contaminated by what we want others to think of us. A solution is that we must accept the fact that we’re going to let some people down. That’s tough for people pleasers, yet vital so we can invest in what’s important.

We Don’t Want to Miss Out!

Do you have FOMO (fear of missing out)? We don’t want to miss out on anything, so we fill our calendars until they’re brimming over. We forget that God created us to be human beings, not human doings. Sadly, too, we miss out on what truly matters.

John Rossman says that we’ve created “frantic family syndrome” We’ve succumbed to social peer pressure and think our kids need to be involved in everything – music lessons, dance lessons, t-ball, soccer, karate, scouting but our relationship with them suffers. Relationships are built on t-i-m-e. That can’t happen as you rush from commitment after commitment. It’s a common cultural lie that we’re neglecting our children if they’re not involved in nearly everything. We wouldn’t let them eat everything, so why do we feel that they must be involved in everything? 

What’s the solution?

Priorities

You can’t do everything, so you must choose what’s vital and the most important. The good things in life are the worst enemies of the best things in life.

One wise university professor would begin his first class each year by saying, “I am about to teach you the most important thing you’ll learn during your entire stay at this institution.” He then pulled out a large glass jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then, he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, inside the jar. When the jar was filled to the top he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel, dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was onto him. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?” “No!” the class shouted and again he said, “Good!” Then he grabbed a jug of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One student raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!” “No,” the professor  replied, “that’s not the point. The point is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all. Make sure you get the big rocks into your life first.”

Personally, I try to never say that I’m “busy.” That seems to infer that I have less time than others, which isn’t true. What is true is that each of us chooses how we will use our daily 24 hours. If you own a business, then it’s wise to spend your time on what will make your business most profitable. The same is true of life. If you’re wise, you invest your time where it is best used and most profitable.

Our responsibilities fall into one of four categories. Knowing where something fits helps us determine its priority and the time to invest in it. They are – Not urgent and not important. Then – Urgent but not important. Another is – Important but not urgent. Finally – Urgent and important.

For example, if you’re married, how long do you plan to be married? Hopefully, you said “for life” (those vows before God do mean something). So, if I’m going to spend time with my spouse long after my work career is complete and the kids are grown, shouldn’t I make that relationship a top priority now and invest time in it so it’s healthy in the future?

Here’s a reality check – you can fill your life with work, hobbies or activities, but if you’re in the hospital or really sick, your fellow employees and golfing buddies might send you a card…maybe. But the ones who will be there will be your family, unless you failed to invest in those relationships early on.

So, if I’m going to spend eternity with One who loved me so much that He sacrificed His Son to die a horrible death for me, shouldn’t I get to know Him now? How can I rationalize that I’m too busy and never crack open my Bible or pray…unless I have an emergency? Do I only see God as some divine EMT or as my Abba-Father? As the Westminster Catechism notes fulfillment and purpose only comes from “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” Spend time enjoying Him now so that you’re preparing for that relationship that will last all of eternity!