Unbusy
Unbusy.
Have you ever thought about what that word means? Pretty sure it is a word that is not part of our common vocabulary. In fact, it’s quite the opposite it.
Busy. We are all busy. Someone asks how we are doing and we say “busy.” We think about what we have to do in a day and the only thing we can think of is busy.
Dictionary.com says that BUSY is defined as: actively or fully engaged; occupied. 2. crowded with or characterized by activity.
When I read that busy can mean “crowded with” or “characterized by activity,” that almost made me sick to my stomach. It gave me that sinking feeling – the one that makes you slouch just a little lower in your chair, embarrassed. Yup, that was me.
When I was recovering at home, I ironically felt busy, just because my mind didn’t have the capacity to comprehend everything that was going on. All I had to do was sit in a chair, sleep, and eat if I could, right? Well, kind of! I had to do PT, meet with visiting nurses, but also try and just make sense of what had happened. And I suppose find care for Mazy everyday, but in reality, I really wasn’t that busy. In fact, I was probably the most “unbusy” I had ever been. I don’t think my life was defined by activity and to the outside person, I don’t think I was “crowded with” things to do.
I remember when I first stepped back into the “real world.” We went out to eat, using one of the wonderful gift cards someone had given us, and seeing people in public was very strange. I felt different. I felt I was someone different, but everyone else continued on with their lives. When my world stopped for a couple of months, every one else’s moved forward. I felt I entered into this new world, with a clean slate. Who did I want to be? Busy or UNbusy?
Our world screams at us to be busy. To be characterized by activity. Success is often defined as having accomplished this, and this, and this…10 times over. The more we do, the more we accomplish, the more successful we are. When someone asks us how we’ve been, well we feel we need to say “busy”, in order to feel like we are worth something and contributing to the good in this world.
What I love about being a Christian is that we aren’t required or asked to live by the world’s standards. In fact, we are called to live a life contrary to how the world lives. A life that just makes more sense in the long run. A life that isn’t filled with do’s and don’ts, but a life filled with peace, joy, and rest. The very person we are to model, rested – Jesus Christ. Doesn’t that just make you say “ahhhh….” Christ’s life wasn’t characterized by activity, but with balance and love. In fact, He was “crowded with” people who wanted more of Him and wanted to be life Him. Wow.
My desire to be busy, well, I’ve been trying to fling it out the door. I realize that being too busy adds stress to my life, which medically changes the function of my heart and can do more damage. Talk about a wake up call. Learning more and more about what stress and busyness can do to my body, has turned the light bulb on in my head and made me realize more than ever, that priorities are key and keeping my priorities straight, will save my life. Both physically and eternally.
Now if you tell me you are busy, I get that! We have busy seasons of life. Moving makes life busy for awhile. Having kids can make life busy. A medical diagnosis can make life busy.
But it is our choice to make ourselves busy more often than not. We can make up all the excuses in the world, but really, the decision is up to us. What we allow in our life and what we allow ourselves and the people in our families to be involved in, determines how busy we are.
Would you define your life as unbusy or busy? Would someone close to you say your life is “characterized by activity?” Is that the type of character you want to be defined with? Sure has made me think twice!
Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God.
