BATTLING THE BUSYNESS

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish." - Luke 14:28-30

Many of us set out with big plans to live a God-filled life...but rarely get past laying the foundation.  Progress halts quickly once resources like time, energy and effort start run thin.  The best intentions and the most earnest, heartfelt desires can so easily be brushed aside to make room for the busyness of everyday life.

A friend and I were talking about the subtle differences between busyness and business the other day.  I found this very interesting.  Websters defines business as "movements and actions that accomplish an objective or mission," where as busyness is defined as, "cluttered with detail to the point of being distracting".  Strange that a single letter can make such a subtle difference in the meaning of a word.

Isn't it the subtle busyness of our lives these days that often detracts and distracts us from pursuing the "business" of Christ's kingdom and work like we should or originally intended.  For most of us it’s not the bad things in our lives that keep us from the Lord, it is the sheer number of good things we try to manage that gets us in trouble.  

I find these words from CS Lewis Screwtape Letters very telling:

[From Screwtape to Wormwood]...There is only one thing we can do. We must redouble our efforts. We must do everything we can to make sure that these humans do not believe in Jesus. And if they do believe then make them lukewarm and too busy with other things to be of any use to him.

We have some reason to hope. Much of the media help us. And there is such a climate of pleasure-seeking and materialism that often the Christians aren't any different from anybody else. Many Christians are uncommitted. Some are hypocrites. And we have got many sincere people convinced they are so guilty that they have no hope. Others are bitter and have closed their ears to the message of the Ressurection. Others are just self-satisfied and only care about now...

Are you too busy right now with entertainment, activities and stuff to be of much use to the Lord and his kingdom?  Is your life complicated and heart cluttered to the point your you can't carry out the Lord's business in the best way possible each day? Maybe it's time to take inventory and clean house. Maybe it's time to set some other things aside so you can go back to building upon the foundation of your faith and pour into the kingdom of God.