Wow, I can't believe that September is upon us - not to mention, almost half finished! As much as I was ready for a routine, a schedule, and yes, for my kids to go back to school, I went into this month with a bit of hesitancy. I have been struggling with busyness lately and simply don’t want to continue running at this pace.
If you're not careful, life can keep you always in a hurry.
I was looking forward to the summer being a bit more slow-paced but honestly, it was not that way at all. On top of an already crazy summer calendar, our house decided that it was time for everything to break. We had a water leak from our fridge so our floors had to be replaced. Of course, the insurance company took their time so our floors were torn up for 2 months. Our hot water heater went out 3 times over the summer, and our fridge kept dying and coming back to life repeatedly. So, rather than continuing to buy new groceries every couple of days, we finally bought a new one.
Honestly, the Devil likes to make you busy.
Back in January, the word I chose for the year was simplify. Well, the summer was anything but simple! Yet, I’m still striving daily to live out that word. The biggest thing in my life I want to simplify is my calendar. I recently picked up a book called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. It's been having a profound effect on my mindset toward being hurried and busy. In part one of the book, Comer says:
Corrie ten Boom once said that if the Devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy. There’s truth in that. Both sin and busyness have the exact same effect – they cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul.
Um, convicting anyone? This point hit me square in the heart and has caused me to question the pace of my own life and that of my family. I don’t want anything – even if the dates on the calendar are good things – to cut off my connection to God! As my husband and I begin deciding what sports our kids will be involved in and what activities will fill our calendar this fall, we will be very mindful of not allowing busyness to overtake our lives. There will be some difficult no's to our kids and friends, but it will be so the things we say yes to are life-giving and God-glorifying.
Make a plan today to become unhurried!
With hesitancy, I enter this fall with a renewed sense of striving toward unhurriedness. My prayer is that you also would look for areas to become unhurried. I encourage you to reflect on the following questions:
- Am I too busy?
- Do I have time for what really matters (family, time with the Lord, serving others)?
- What are some ways I can remove busyness from my life in order to strengthen my connection to God and others?
Take time to intentionally make a plan today so that you can go through this fall feeling refreshed and renewed.
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