When did busyness take over our lives?

Before kids I didn’t need a calendar. Appointments somehow filed themselves away in my gray matter and popped up when needed. The arrival of our first child and then twins, twenty months later, apparently melted my synapses—–probably the lack of sleep—–and I perfected the art of apologizing for many missed appointments.

I wasn’t the only one affected. Mat arrived home from church one Sunday…without our young daughter. When he raced back to retrieve her she was waiting patiently in front of the building.

We complain about busyness, but we don’t make changes to free up our schedules. Why do we not say “no” when asked to add one more thing to an already overbooked calendar?

Why do we fill our lives to the very edges with busyness? And let ourselves be run to death, flattened by the lack of rest and peace in our homes and lives?

I wonder if we use busyness to avoid what we feel or what we are powerless to fix.

I wonder if we cover up pain, stress, and a sense of disconnectedness by filling our lives with distractions. Using busyness to cover that lost and hopeless place inside.

Because…without hope we are lost.

What We Seek

So how do we find what we are so desperately seeking: significance, connection and hope?

One way is by persevering through the shovelful of yuck that has been thrown our way. But it has to be perseverance in the right direction.

Persevering in love when we are dealing with the unlovable, the hateful and the disrespectful.

Persevering in peace when in the middle of chaotic and stressful circumstances.

Persevering in hope when all appears to be lost—–the rebellious child, the painful marriage, the dead end job.

We have to know Love to have love (1 John 4:8). We have to stand firm in the face of difficulty to have peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:6-7). We need to lift our eyes above the difficulties and fasten them on the smiling face of Jesus if we want to live as overcomers (John 16:33, Rom. 8:37).

Circumstances are not our biggest issue. How we look at our circumstances makes us or breaks us.

How we think about ourselves and our lives determines the state of our hearts and our minds.

Because how you choose to perceive your life and circumstances (the grid you look through) determines the path you will walk. What we  believe, we create. What we think, we become.

If I believe my marriage/job/child is hopeless, I will treat it as hopeless. That hopelessness will cloud every interaction with the expectation of failure and disappointment.

And what I’m looking for I will see. And what I see will reinforce my belief. And fueled by my belief, I will either build up or dismantle relationships through my words and actions.

But we can ask Holy Spirit to open our eyes and replace our clouded grids with His view of people and circumstances. We will gain a new vision. One filled with hope. In Him and what He wants to do, not limited by our perception of life’s difficulties.

We will walk as overcomers, trusting Him with the outcome.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, I ask you to wash my eyes and ears to give me Your vision for my life and circumstances. Help me step into faith when all I feel is doubt and hopelessness in these situations. Draw me deeper into Your heart where I can walk in peace and hope. Where Your love overwhelms and casts out all doubt and unbelief. Teach me how to follow You into intimacy. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prison  and Stones photos by Pixabay