I Choose Joy over "Busy-ness"

Another thing that can steal our joy is "busy-ness."  We want to do a good job at the things to which we are already committed, and sometimes it's hard to say, "No" to other things that sound like fun or things that we are expected to do.  Sometimes we get "guilted into" doing things that we don't really have any business doing.  When that happens, we don't have time or energy to do the things we should be doing!

The thing about "busy-ness" is that it creeps up on me without me knowing what is happening.  I never intend to get so busy and overcommitted that I lose my focus, but it happens -- way too frequently! 

God warns us to "be still" and to "wait."  He chose those words specifically for us.  He created us, and He knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows our tendency to become overcommitted to perfectly good projects in addition to our necessary responsibilities.  That is why we need to stay focused on Him and to depend on Him to set and prioritize our agendas.  (Excerpted from my book, "I Choose Joy.")

I've learned that the single most important tool in helping me to prioritize my time is a list.  Especially when my plate is very full or when I have a deadline that must be met.  If I will take just a few minutes to write down what needs to be done today, this week, and this month, I am much more likely to get everything done without adding superfluous, non-essential busy work that distracts me from the task at hand.  This works for me because I am slightly OCD (Is that an oxymoron?  If I am truly obsessive compulsive, doesn't that imply that there is nothing "slight" about it?  Oh, well, that's a discussion for another day.  Note to self:  stick to the list, stick to the task at hand.)

At the top of my daily list is to spend time in prayer, meditation, and reading God's word, The Bible.  You might say, "I don't have time for that."  I say, "I don't have time NOT to do that."  By starting my day with God, I am able to put my entire agenda into perspective.  Sometimes, after my quiet time with God, my plans will change, some things eliminated altogether.  But even if there are no changes to the to-do list, I am able to begin my day with calm, peaceful, determined diligence.  And when I finish the day's list, I am usually able to sleep better knowing that I did what needed to be done, even if it was not what I wanted to get done.  I try not to fret if I failed to complete everything on my list (refer to last week's blog post about anxiety), but I just move those things to the next day or eliminate them altogether.  It has taken practice, but now I'm usually able to predict how much I will be able to accomplish on any given day, spreading out the necessary tasks over a week or even over a month or more.  I feel a great deal of satisfaction when I am able to physically mark through each completed task, preferably with a heavy black marker, then toss the completed, blacked-out list into the trash.

Read the following verses and think about what God might be saying to you through them:

Be still, and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

Stand in awe, and sin not:  commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.  Psalm 4:4

It sounds contradictory, that being still will help you get more done, but it will.  Remember, God rested on the 7th day after creation.  God is all powerful.  He doesn't NEED to rest.  But He did rest to set an example for us.  We all need to be still and acknowledge that God IS, that He loves us, that He has a plan for us, and that His plan and agenda is bigger and better than any plan we might devise for ourselves.  When we work according to His plan, He will help us every step of the way, orchestrating the events of our days to facilitate His plan.  I've seen this happen over and over and over . . .  even in the most menial of my tasks.

So, my prayer this week, for myself and for you, is this, found in first few verses of Psalm 37, with our names inserted as indicated: 

"Dear God, please help me and the one reading this to -- 

Trust in the Lord, and do good; (to) dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.  (Help us to) delight (ourselves) also in the Lord, and He shall give (us) the desires of (our) heart(s).  (Help us to) commit (our) way to the Lord, (to) trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  He shall bring forth (our) righteousness as the light, and (our) justice as the noonday.  (Help me and the one reading this to) rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him."