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Articles
Too Busy
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16
When you ask people about how they are and how life is going, “busy” is an all too-common response. Americans wear “busy” like a badge of honor. So what do we have to show for all of our busyness? Our time is one of our most valuable resources. Ecclesiastes 12:14 tells us “For God will bring every work into judgment.” Let’s be careful, then, to make the most of our time.
Seek Balance. On one hand, children of God are to reject laziness. It’s easy to waste time watching television or playing on our phones, yet even the ant teaches us to have a strong work ethic (Proverbs 6:6-11). However, we have to avoid extremes. Becoming a work-a-holic is just as bad as being lazy. Ecclesiastes does a marvelous job of teaching such balance. Ecclesiastes 2:24 tells us, “There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good.” Just as “There is an appointed time for everything,” (Ecclesiastes 3:1), there is a time to get to work, and a time to rest. God values rest enough to have mandated a day of rest under the old covenant. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10), but know when it’s time to clock-out.
Seek God-Given Tasks. If you are “too busy,” then what are you busy doing? The truth is, most people are busy in the affairs of this life and not busy enough doing things God wants them to spend their time on. Children do not have to be involved in every possible extracurricular activity. Parents do not need to take every possible hour of overtime. Contrary to the so-called wisdom of the day, you do not actually need to have a “side hustle.” If we think critically about why some of us may be “too busy,” perhaps we are so busy as a result of the discontentment for the things we have in life? Do you need two car payments? Do you need multiple out-of-state vacations each year? As Solomon demonstrated in Ecclesiastes 2:18, labor for such things ultimately leads to regret. We would be much happier if we learn to find contentment in the things we need (I Timothy 6:6-8), and spend more time seeking God-given tasks. “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands;” (Psalm 90:17).
Seek Christ’s Example. Jesus was certainly a hard-worker (John 4:31-34; 9:4). However, he spent His time on the things that were most important. In particular, the gospels demonstrate 2 things Jesus devoted a lot of time to: prayer and people. He prayed often (Luke 5:16), and sometimes He prayed all night (Luke 6:12)! He prayed alone (Luke 9:18) and He prayed with others (Luke 9:28). Jesus made time to pray, because prayer was a priority.
Jesus also made time for people. He basically told Martha that spending time together was more important than spending time working in the kitchen (Luke 10:38-42). When the apostles seemed to think Jesus was too busy to bother with the little children in Luke 18:15-16, Jesus welcomed them. Even when Jesus was preparing to enter Jerusalem for the final time at the end of His life (Luke 18:31-33), He made time to visit with Zaccheus (Luke 19:5).
It is a good thing to work hard, but you have to be careful to make “the most of your time” (Ephesians 5:16). Seek balance in doing the things that would please God. Follow Jesus’ example in devoting time to prayer and people. If you are going to be “too busy,” be busy doing the will of God.
