De-busy Your Life

I’m busy, busy, dreadfully busy,

You’ve no idea what I have to do.

I’m busy, busy, shockingly busy,

Much, much too busy for you.

Busy-ness is the core issue of the tale. Somehow we need to find a way to “de-busy” our lives so we can be about God’s important work of bringing hope and healing to broken and hurting people.

First, we can de-busy our lives by focusing on people more than projects. We can I have to confess that I am a point A to point B type of guy. I am mentally at point B, and don’t see needs or opportunities to help someone along the way. It is like I put blinders on. I have had to work at noticing and being available to people. I try to walk a little more slowly and pay attention to who I am passing in the halls or on the street. I have an open- door policy at work which can be inconvenient at times, but helps keep me connected. I remind myself of the Scriptural promise, ‘A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.’ (Prov 11:25) A colonel in the Airforce once told me, ‘take care of your people, and they will take care of you.’ Since then, I have tried to be more focused on caring for people – even when it is crunch time to accomplish a task.

Second, we can de-busy our lives by using technology as a tool and not a barrier to real relationships. A couple years ago I threw a party for a number of families. I was excited to have everyone to my home and greeted them at the door. I was shocked when some people came in saying ‘hi’ without even looking up from their cell phones. A half dozen stayed on their phones from the moment they arrived to when they left. These were not all bored kids who had been dragged to the party. But, if I am honest, I sometimes do the same thing. I’m usually on my cell phone when on the elevator, or in a restaurant by myself. Maybe it makes me feel important, like I have so much business to do. Perhaps I am hiding behind technology because chance encounters are uncomfortable. God has invited us to this grand party of life with all kinds of interesting guests. How much do we miss when we hide behind technology? Is technology your helpful tool or a demanding master?

Third, remember that it is simple to serve. We have ample opportunities to help those in need around us. Though our paths may not often cross the poor and destitute of the city, they cross the poor and destitute of heart, the emotionally downtrodden, the spiritually wandering all the time. John Maxwell writes in Life@Work:

‘People are stripped of self-confidence, self-worth, hope, faith, purity, meaning, and opportunity… If you look around corporate America, you will see many people terrified that they will lose their jobs. You will see uncertainty in their eyes, along with self-doubt and anxiety about the future. These are the eyes of need. These are opportunities to serve staring you in the face.’

We tend to over complicate matters and allow that to paralyze us. We think, ‘If I take a moment I have to take an hour.’ And, ‘One thing will lead to another and I won’t get out of it.’ The good Samaritan simply made a quick observation, took a little risk, and invested in another’s life as he was able. He wasn’t sweeping the roads looking for some opportunity to make a grand gesture. He simply opened his eyes to the need, had compassion, and did something that was within his ability.

I challenge you to put your cell phone away and talk to someone on the elevator or elsewhere this week. Maybe you can strike up a conversation with someone at work who looks stressed out and needs a listening ear. De-busy your life. Set some boundaries so that technology doesn’t keep you from engaging with the many people at this amazing party of life that God has invited you to.

Seeking to Serve,

Jonathan