Balancing the Busyness

‘Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom, O Lord.’ (Psalm 90:12)

I am tired. Bone tired, as my mom used to say. Which interpreted would mean, really tired. I have to laugh as I write this, because it brings back precious memories of my mom being silly whenever she was talking about being tired.

Tired can be good for us, and tired can be bad for us. But tired is a word most of us can use in our everyday vocabulary. And it still amazes me when I realize why.

I can remember, in the not too distant past, when evenings were quiet. We usually stayed home, and we did not have a lot of company, other than neighborhood friends now and then. We sometimes sat on our front porch and watched the birds, and the kids playing, and sometimes just watched the cars going by. We often watched some television programs, but not for the whole evening. We actually took the time to talk to one another. And we laughed, and even cried.  It was a time for just relaxing, having a tall glass of iced tea, and sharing the details of our day.

After dishes  and homework were done, the family would gather. There may have been a phone call, but there was no computer to take up our time, and we did not have video games. Movies required going to a theater to enjoy. There were Hallmark movies and the Movie of the Week on the TV. But we did not have the choices we now have when it comes to television entertainment. And I believe that was probably a very good thing indeed.

These days, I find I am seldom home. I am expected to be here, there, everywhere. It’s not that I am super important. I am needed, or so I think. It’s a meeting at church, or school, a game, or work to be done. If we allow it, our time is stolen by “busyness”.  And there is entirely too much of it. It can literally choke the life out of our family life, our down time, our rest.

God has something different for us. We are to make choices, and use His wisdom to make them. If we rely on our own wisdom, our busyness will not change. But if we listen to Him, and follow His instructions, then we will find that balance, that mixing up of work and play, activity and rest, which we need. We will learn to say NO to those things that we do not need to be a part of, while saying YES to the things that will enrich our lives. God provides the rest we require, the time to spend with loved ones, and the relaxation that clears our minds of the clutter of this world.

‘You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways, O Lord.’ Psalm 139:3