I had a conversation with a friend recently about the pressure of doing more. The lie that busyness equals a better and, therefore, more important life is not only being perpetuated in the world, but it is also becoming more rampant in the lives of believers.
If you are not involved in things, or taking on many tasks, you are put in a category of lazy or of not being a good servant of Christ.
Though we know that salvation cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8-9), it seems so many of us are still caught in the trap of business, as if there is some invisible quota we must meet.
After spending some time in prayer, God put something in my heart and spirit that I believe is not just specific for only for me, but for many others out there wrestling with the same thing:
Do not allow yourself to be consumed with thinking you are not doing enough for Me or in serving Me. You serve Me in the most important way by loving Me, practicing obedience consistently and diligently even in the mundane moments, days and even years. Though these things may not seem tangible to you or others, they are substantial and necessary to Me. There are many believers that are “serving” Me when in reality they are spending a majority of their time serving themselves that they tend to neglect the most crucial thing; loving Me first.
This leads me back to the story of Martha and Mary, and a key thing that Jesus said in the middle of this story that is sometimes overlooked:
“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40-42 NKJV) *Emphasis my own
One thing is needed, not two or ten, but one. In our need to be busy to show that we are doing more for the Kingdom , we neglect the most essential thing: godliness.
Busyness does not equal godliness.
“The "show business," which is so incorporated into our view of Christian work today, has caused us to drift far from Our Lord's conception of discipleship. It is instilled in us to think that we have to do exceptional things for God; we have not. We have to be exceptional in ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people, surrounded by sordid sinners. That is not learned in five minutes.”-Oswald Chambers
Here are four things to help you stay out of the trap of busyness:
Balance your life. Living a balanced life in all aspects keeps you from overcompensating and neglecting the very important things.
Condemnation is not from God. If you fall into a pattern of guilt when you are you feel you are not busy enough, remember that is not of God. It is a tactic straight out of the enemies playbook.
Remember, that you are already validated. Many use busyness as a type of validation; when they do more they are seen more and most often praised. That is a trap that must be avoided at all costs because if you leave validation in the hands of others your life will always been on shaky ground and not secure. By the simple fact that you are here on earth means you are already validated. Period. End of story.
Focus on your faith. We want the focus our faith to be tangible while God wants our faith in the intangible.
Do you ever feel like you are not doing enough if you are not “busy enough?” How do you stay focused and out of the trap? Share in the comments!
About the Author :
Leilani is a single mom to a beautiful 4 year old little girl. She is in love with the Creator of the stars. Her mission is simple yet so big, to encourage and bring Jesus to all in need. To bring hope by loving people, writing, photography, music, poetry/spoken word and meeting people right where they are. God's Grace is her air.
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