When I was growing up, I was taught that achievements and busyness and work were what gave me my worth. I was praised for high grades and pushed into activities while also being expected to keep up with chores and family relationships.
There was an immense amount of guilt in my heart if I did not keep up with these expectations.
Stillness and rest were not virtues in my house. It was perceived laziness.
I was given compliments like “Well, you are just a busy bee! Good for you!” and “Wow, you got great grades and juggled varsity soccer and working, you’re so great.”
I was shown more love, approval
Family members were impressed by all I could do well at the same time but the truth is, I wasn’t doing anything well. I was churning out results, sure, but it was killing me.
I endured a lot of trauma as a child and teenager and my busyness crowded my life so badly that I was never able to heal or grow. So often we use busyness as a way to escape dealing with our hurts and struggles.
My busyness kept me numb, but it also stunted me. I didn’t grow in that season of my life at all. I withered instead.
Busyness As A Badge of Honor
Our society places badges of honor on busy people. We say things like “My schedule is just so crazy” or “It’s been a rough week, I don’t know how I’m going to get my list done.”
We commiserate about our full calendars and compare the sizes of our to-do-lists. Not only that, we affirm them for each other.
We don’t hear someone say they did nothing all weekend and then praise them for all the rest they accomplished. It’s the opposite. We tell them how that must have been so nice. We tell them we’d never be able to do that.
But this is a dangerous and unbiblical attitude to have.
The Bible calls us to work hard for the Lord but also calls us to rest. Hebrews 4: 10-11 says:
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, Let us, therefore, strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”
This verse has come into my heart many times this year already. One of my goals for 2019 is to create more space and margin in my life and to enter true rest, spiritual rest.
This verse reminds me that I need to enter the rest available to me as a follower of Christ. Not only that, but it is disobedient not to strive for that rest.
This kind of rest is not binging Netflix or scrolling Instagram on my couch. It is the kind that makes space for boredom, for reading, for prayer & for creativity.
Why Busyness Hurts Our Growth
When our calendars and plates are full, there is not margin or white space left in our lives. There’s no room for our minds to rest.
This hurts us and stunts our growth so much. When we fill every free moment we have, there are not moments for us to fill ourselves back up. There are no moments for us to process our lives.
This is why our minds race at night and why we experience so much anxiety.
Busyness keeps us from growing because it crowds us. Gardens have specific spacing and numbers of plants for a reason. If you plant too many, no plant can root themselves deeply enough. They choke each other out.
This principle is the same for our faith.
If we put too much stuff on our calendar and too many things on our plates, nothing will thrive. Especially not our faith. Many times the things that tend our relationships with Christ are the things to go first.
But, friend, you and only you have control over your calendar and your time. Say yes to the things that matter to you. Prioritize those things and say no to everything else.
The Dangers of Busyness
So what actually happens when we let ourselves get too busy? Why can’t we keep going the way we are?
My friend Caroline at Lily Mags & Co. outlines 4 dangers of busyness in our lives and why we need to protect our time.
Click below to read the full featured post “4 Dangers of Being Too Busy.”
>CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL POST<
