We arrived home after a few hours at the grocery store, and asked our three year old to carry in a bag of bread. Her arms dropped in exhaustion and her knees buckled as she exclaimed, “I’m too busy!”
My youngest has been the source of much laughter in our family. When she was very young, she would often tell us she was “too busy” in an effort to get out of doing any work.
We would look at her calmly and say, “Mikenah, you aren’t doing anything.”
This brings me to a verse I’ve been pondering for a while. This verse has a powerful impact on my personal, professional, public and private life. In the most famous prayer ever prayed, Jesus makes a stunning plea:
“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10
I usually pray this with the idea that I am asking God to somehow “force” the earth to come into alignment with His kingdom and His will. Today, I’m looking from a different angle. I see this as a prayer for my life, my actions, and my will to align with God’s Kingdom.
Alignment with God’s Kingdom should be the focus of my busyness.
Why is it so difficult to align my busyness (life, actions and will) to God’s Kingdom? I can offer one simple excuse:
I’m too busy.
In the midst of work, family, church activities, cleaning, laundry, meals and the holidays coming up, I am justified in my excuse. Right?
If I’m honest, God could look me right in the eye and calmly say, “David, you aren’t doing anything.”
It’s not that I’m too busy. It’s that I’m too busy at the wrong things.
I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. I want to align my life with the Kingdom and the will of God on earth, just as it is in heaven. To do that, there needs to be some changes.
Three steps to better your busyness!
- Incline. My short term and long term purpose are found in my incline.
- This means I take time each day to align my life with God’s Kingdom and will for me. To “Seek First the Kingdom” (#S1tK)
- I meditate on scripture, pray, and take time listening for God’s direction.
- I notice the beauty of the world around me. It was nice to stop for a moment today on my way to work and just enjoy the beauty of the falling snow on the trees, and the calm of nature in the midst of the hustling city.
- Decline. What I learn in my incline helps determine what I decline.
- This means I look at my schedule and decline unnecessary meetings and activities.
- I used to tell myself, “you can’t do that.” But the truth is, I can. I must!
- I need to spend time doing those things that are most important to me.
- Recline. The benefit of the Decline is the opportunity to recline.
- It is amazing how much more productive I am when I have enough rest. I had hit a wall working on a project last month when I got up and walked around my work building. 15 minutes tops. When I got back to my desk, the ideas were flowing and the project got back on track.
How about you?
What are some ways you are able to stay busy on the right things?
Love and blessin’s,
David
