Becoming the Boss of Busyness

What if busyness was an actual muscle in our bodies? Like a bicep that thrives with weight resistant curls. Or the heart that strengthens with consistent cardio activity. What if the need to be busy strengthened and grew each time we flexed this muscle?

If busyness were a muscle we would have to work it consistently in order to train it to do what we demand of it. We would have to feed and nourish it in order for it to develop properly. We might walk around, flexing it for others to see, proud of our busyness muscle. “Look what I can get accomplished in such a short amount of time.”…”See how good busyness looks on me?”

Some of us have grown so accustomed to staying busy that we wear it like a badge of honor on our shirts.

Others of us are exhausted. We are ready to step off of the hamster wheel. We are ready for a long winter’s nap. We are ready to teach our children that it’s okay, and even necessary, to have white space in our weekly schedules.

This week I began a four-week study on Sabbath (Here’s the book if you are interested Breathe: Making Room for Sabbath). I want to know what God meant when He said “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”

After only one week in to my study, I see that there is so much more to Sabbath than I ever thought. Here’s what I’m learning so far:

*God created Sabbath.

*Keeping the Sabbath day holy is one of the 10 Commandments. I had almost forgotten that.

*God participated in this day of rest. If He sees the value in it, so should I.

*Sabbath is a gift from God, and in the past, I’ve viewed it as a burden.

Muscles require ‘rest’ days. They perform more efficiently on the days we demand it if they have had the opportunity to lay low. A ‘cheat’ day if you will.

What if you knew that by incorporating a day of rest into your weekly schedule, the things you do the other six days of the week would still get done? What if those things you do the other six days not only got done, but got done more efficiently and with more joy?

Is your anxiety level going up just thinking of taking one day to rest? Mine is too.

I still have more to learn, but here’s my conclusion after my first week of study: Sabbath was created for us to enjoy. A day to bask in a light of freedom from work and the toil that come with living in this world.

The day God rested wasn’t just a period at the end of the 6 days of creation. It was the 7th word in a 7 word sentence. Its importance held just as much weight as the other 6 days of creation. And if it’s important to God, it should be important to all of us.

I hope you’ll do your own studying and make this a matter of prayer. Let’s grow together.

A step further:

Look up the word “Sabbath” in the dictionary and write its definition.

Look up the word “Sabbath” in the concordance of your Bible. Read where it takes you.

Prayer:

Father, help me to understand when you say “Remember the Sabbath…”. I want to honor you in this. Thank you for the freedom and rest that you are trying to hand me with this gift. Help me to accept it and put it to good use.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen