Is "Busy Work" Within the Limits of Your Purpose?

We have a tendency to equate “busy” with productive.  We fill our calendar, spread ourselves too thin, and give ourselves away to tasks that fall outside of our true purpose for the season.

It’s called “busy-work.”

Busy-work is time consuming, but rarely useful.  It keeps us occupied, but isn't constructive or productive.  The enemy recognizes our need to feel “important” and knows that this importance is often derived by how much we do—or, maybe that’s just me.

God has helped me to see that if I want to fruitfully walk in His purpose for my life I must stop allowing “busy-work” to distract me.  Prior to investing my energy, money, or time God has called me to answer a series of questions…

1.    Is this activity in line with your purpose?

2.    Is this the best use of your time?

3.    Are you spread too thin and if so…for what?

4.    Why are you doing it?

5.    Will you regret giving yourself away to this task?

Busy does not equal productive.  We must choose to prioritize our tasks and put a sense of urgency behind the tasks that God has called us to do within our current season.  We must stop perpetuating activities just because it’s what we've always done and be willing to do something different.

So, today don’t get caught up in the “busy-work.”  Spend time with God early and ask Him to help you be a good steward over your time.  Recognize that our time is finite and each time we entertain the distraction of “busy-work” we fail to produce the fruit of our season.  Before you add another task to your calendar or another project to your to-do list I implore you to ask yourself the aforementioned questions.  Be willing to make the difficult decision to stop engaging in an activity if God indicates it is not the best use of your time right now…even if you want it to be.  We have but a short window of time to fulfill what God has called us to do.  Let’s choose to walk in that purpose and in that sense of urgency daily by employing productivity over a lot of activity.

Ashley Ivery is a single mother of two brilliant children, Aiden and Devyn, with an overwhelming desire to empower women and help them to realize the importance of a relationship with God.  Through her writing she hopes to encourage women to claim their strength and value in Christ.  Ashley serves as the Residential Listing Partner for Team Harris Real Estate.  She graduated from Fayetteville State University in 2012 with a BS in Psychology.  Her motto is:  "Be Authentic.  Live Honestly.  Dispel Light."