“I’m just so busy!” How many times have you heard that sentence this week? How many times have you said it yourself?
I have been thinking about my own time management. My problem isn’t doing too little; it’s doing too much. I keep adding and adding to an already full plate until nearly every moment of every day is scheduled.
Then, things start to slip.
I can’t read my Bible today. I’m just so busy.
I can’t exercise this morning. I’m just so busy.
I can’t nurture my relationships with friends and family the way I’d like to. I’m just so busy.
I’d really like to minister to others, but…I’m just so busy.
You get the point. I’m starting to see that many of us (myself included!) use busyness as a form of validation. It seems like we matter more when our calendars are jam packed with things to do. There is something important about having places to be and people to be with. But I think this is rooted in pride. Our value doesn’t come from anything we do. We matter to God because He is the Creator and we are His Creation. This is true even if our calendar isn’t busting at the seams.
I think the Lord understands our tendency to over schedule. This is why He urges us to have regular times of Sabbath.
Exodus 16:23 says, “He said to them, ‘This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”
The word Sabbath simply means “a time of rest.” was the last time you left your schedule clear in order to rest?
The principle of a day of rest is nearly absent from our culture. If your week looks like mine, Sunday’s are among the busiest days of the week. Most of the time I’m “just too busy” on Sundays to rest and often my schedule is so full the day flies by without much attention given to my spiritual life at all.
Business isn’t wrong. It’s okay to be involved in sports and clubs and church. It’s great to schedule times to be with friends and family. But don’t let “I’m too busy!” become your mantra. Schedule the things that matter first. Be disciplined about taking time to rest (schedule it if you have to!) and take note that even when your calendar is clear, you matter a great deal to God.
