How to Battle Busyness

 Most, if not all, of us reading this live in America and are young(ish) adults. Life in American culture is extremely busy. Some of the busyness is put upon us by our jobs or family needs, while some of our busyness we put on ourselves as we take on the common traits of a fast-paced, results-driven culture. The point is: we are all busy and often find ourselves in the fight of managing time and demands.

With that in mind, I often hear statements in my day-to-day conversations like, “I’m so busy,” or, “I just don’t have enough time for ________.” I am surrounded by some amazingly intentional people who are, more often that not, feeling the press of time because they have some non-negotiable responsibilities in life alongside a myriad of really good things they are trying to give themselves to.

Here is my big statement for today (which my Transformation Group have already heard). The statement, “I don’t have enough time” is a false/useless statement. The correct statement is, “I am not willing to prioritize my time and tasks in order to make that happen or be a part of that. The reality, which we all know, is that we almost always have time for what matters to us the most.

I say this fully acknowledging that there are those small moments when it is impossible to manage multiple equally important tasks or we truly don’t have any more time to give. This is not what we’re talking about here. Those moments happen sporadically and are, generally, relatively short. They are the exception to the rule.

We are talking about everyday life. We all feel this in our every day, or at least the number of times I hear myself and others saying this would point to it being an “everyday life reality.”

This can quickly turn into a daily guilt trip we take ourselves on where every time we have to say "no", we end up thinking that we don't have proper priorities. I pray this is not the result. I pray that our priorities reflect our values and that our values reflect our identity in Christ and the Truth we have been given in His Word (Scripture).

Here are a few, practical ways I believe we can live those values out:

1) Fellowship with God daily in prayer and in His Word as you would with any other person that matters to you. (Matthew 22:36-38)

2) Live out the will and way of God as best you know in all situations of life. Live for His glory (Matthew 5:13-16, Colossians 3:17, & 1 Corinthians 10:31)

3) Love your neighbor and make yourself available to them. (Matthew 22:39 & John 13:35)

4) Share the Truth of Jesus and walk alongside each other in teaching all that God has taught us. (Romans 10:14 & Matthew 28:18-20)

5) Make time for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. (Hebrews 10:24-25, 29 & 1 Thessalonians 2:8)

6) Be generous with your time, money, and abilities. (Acts 20:35, Matthew 6:21, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, & 1 John 3:17)

7) Trust the Lord in His goodness, His grace, and His Sovereignty. (Matthew 6:25-33)

My simple encouragement to all of us is that we reflect on these passages and all of Scripture, and pray that God would root convictions deep in us that results in priorities that reflect the values of God. Again, I pray against guilt and I hope that this becomes a good measuring rod that we allow God to use to reveal “us to ourselves” in order that we would participate in loving each other well, reaching the world with the love and Truth of Jesus, and glorifying God to the uttermost.

Heath Haynes,
Pastor at The Bridge Montrose

We commit to a journey of transformation together toward Jesus for the glory of God.