Busyness Series

cultural lenses – individualism and consumerism – now busyness

Becomes a badge of honour - boast disguised as a complaint. response is a kind of congratulation: “That’s a good problem to have,” or “Better than the opposite.”

Do we want to live like this; it’s something we collectively force one another to do.

Its not full time worker, full time student saying this - they are Exhausted.

It’s almost always people whose lamented busyness is purely self-imposed: work and obligations they’ve taken on voluntarily, classes and activities they’ve “encouraged” their kids to participate in. They’re busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety, because they’re addicted to busyness and dread what they might have to face in its absence. - People feel guilty when they aren’t ‘keeping busy’

Our frantic days are really just a hedge against emptiness. – Avoid thinking

Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness; obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day.

BUSYNESS IS A COP-OUT. Busy has become synonymous with avoidance. Ask yourself: what am I running from?

BUSYNESS MAKES YOU THE VICTIM.

Like an external force that renders us so helpless we have no power? revaluate.

BUSYNESS IS ARROGANT.

And here’s the kicker: we’re reluctant to let go of being “too busy” because our identity is so wrapped up in this busyness that we don’t know who to be without it.

We need a Theology of time

1. Our time is a gift, its our most valuable resource Ps 139: 15, 16 - barreness

“your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me

were written in your book before one of them came to be.” – be wise

2. There is enough time for everything Eccl 3:1-8 –BIG ROCKS

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” – saying yes to one thing, means no to everything else

3. God calls us to rest – Exodus 31:14 – 17

Too often we have thought IDLENESS=UNGODLY

But BUSYNESS=/=GODLY,

It isn't the case that "Jesus is coming, quick look busy"

God is serious, he models it, we take the principle – stems from creation

We think ‘If you don’t do stuff it’ll go to pot’ – this feeds our need for busyness and the feelings of importance we get from it – a badge of honour

The opposite is solitude – when we do nothing with God, we are reminded that we are more than the functions we perform and God keeps the world moving without us.

God takes a Sabbath to show that things will run on their own, how would you feel about doing 1/7 of your time to doing nothing

All of time belongs to God, it’s the first thing he created and made holy, it’s the ultimate thing that humans have no control over – again creating dependency on God

Only solitude breaks the grip of busyness

CURES FOR CHRONIC BUSYNESS

Socrates said: “Beware of the barrenness of a busy life.” 500BC

1. Learn what to say yes and no to. – big rocks

Priorities, priorities, priorities. Evaluate whether your busyness is momentary or whether it’s something that’s impacting your happiness long-term.

Start uttering that powerful two-letter word more often. Saying no doesn’t have to be negative

2. More often than not, busy is a choice.

Life isn’t about filling in your time, but about using it well

Unless we can let go of our busyness, not just in our activities but in the inner turmoil of our minds, we will never find true intimacy with God. And that letting go requires a lot of trust. We must trust that God’s purposes will be accomplished even if we are not frenetically busy. We must trust that God still loves us even when we sit doing nothing more than appreciating him and praising him. And it means trusting that the God who loves us far more deeply and passionately than we can ever imagine longs to hold us close in the quietness and peace of rest.

? Get a system that works – The book "Getting things done"

Make appointments with God - it'll develop in us more wisdom and strength

1.Listen to God through the Bible

2.Talk to God in prayer

3.Apply to your life

Think – will this time be well spent, especially compared to the hollowness of TV or social media.

Your homework assignment this week is simple – Be still