Sorry, I'm Busy

We’re late! Get in the car. We have to go! My mouth utters these words far too often. This year we moved straight from basketball season into lacrosse season. I thought we’d get a week off in between but the boys just finished playoff games, and tonight we have our first practice for lacrosse. With work, kids, a hungry hubby, serving, and writing, often I’m running around with blinders on only thinking of the next moment and what I need to accomplish to get through it. Next thing I know, the day is over and then the week.I don’t want to live this way.There’s a saying, if the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy. When my head is filled with a task list a mile long, and I’m focused on checking off the next item, I miss the needs of others around me. Several years ago, I was in the middle of making dinner. The phone was ringing, and I had paint on my hands from an art project I needed to finish as an example for my art students. My youngest tugged on the bottom of my sweater as I finagled the phone out of my purse and tried to answer it with my elbow.  He wailed above the din of the ringtone and the sizzle of the frying pan with tears gleaming in his eyes, “Mom, you’re not listening to me! You never listen to me!”I’d like to say that all the noises faded into the background. That I scooped him up into my arms, focusing all my attention on his sweet little face, and listened to what he had to say. Truthfully, I can’t remember what I did, but I do know that moment stuck with me. My busyness was hurting the people I loved.“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund BurkeWhen we’re busy, it’s hard to focus on the people who need us. We miss the opportunities where we can bless somebody. Darley and Batson performed a behavioral study on helping others called From Jerusalem to Jericho. They took 67 seminary students and asked them to give a sermon on the Good Samaritan, in another school building. Half of the students were put into a hurried situation by being told they were already late. On their way to the next building, all of the test subjects encountered a man slumped in a doorway moaning. Only 10% of the hurried students stopped to aid the man. Meanwhile, 63% of the unhurried students paused to offer help in some form.All this time, idleness has taken the blame for being the devil's playground, but as it turns out busyness is responsible also. So, how can we combat the busyness that hinders us from doing good?

• Stop and take a breath.
• Take a moment to look around you and identify needs.
• Prioritize things by their importance not always by their deadline.
• Realize work will still be there for you to do tomorrow. You won’t die if things don’t get completed today (at least in most cases. If so, see prioritizing above).

When you look back, do you want to remember being busy or being a blessing?“Don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.” - Galatians 6:9Don't miss a post! Sign up for my e-newsletter here: Lorri Dudley's Newsletter